THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 
OF  CALIFORNIA 

PRESENTED  BY 

PROF.  CHARLES  A.  KOFOID  AND 
MRS.  PRUDENCE  W.  KOFOID 


First-Hand  Bits  of  Stable  Lore 


First-Hand  Bits  of 

Stable    ^ore 


By 

Francis   M.  Ware 


Illustrated  from    Photographs 


Boston 
Little,  Brown,  and  Company 

1903 


Copyright,  1902, 
BY  LITTLE,  BROWN,  AND  COMPANY. 


All  rights  reserved 
Published   December,  1902 


UNIVERSITY    PRESS  •    JOHN    WILSON 
AND    SON      •     CAMBRIDGE,    U.   S.  A. 


PREFACE 

THESE  chapters,  except  that  on  "Man- 
agement of  a  Pack  of  Hounds,"  appeared 
originally  in    the   "  Boston   Transcript ;  " 
the  chapter  named,  in  the  magazine  Coach  and 
Saddle,  Chicago,  111.,  of  which  the  author  is  the 
editor.    The  pictures  are  from  photographs  taken 
by  Messrs.  W.  P.  Robertson,  738  Eighth  Avenue, 
New  York,  and  Messrs.  Schreiber  &  Son,  Phila- 
delphia, Pa. 

The  chapters  epitomize  thirty  years'  active  per- 
sonal experience  with  every  kind  of  horse  for 
every  conceivable  purpose,  and  the  deductions 
drawn  are  in  no  sense  theoretical.  Such  a  book 
would  have  greatly  helped  the  author  when  he 
began  as  a  youngster,  and  it  is  his  earnest  hope 
that  it  may  prove  of  use  to  others. 

FRANCIS   M.  WARE. 


M363034 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER  PAGE 

I.    HORSE   BUYING  AND  HORSE  TRYING    ....  I 

II.    As  TO   "SOUNDNESS" 22 

III.  STABLING  AND  STABLES 33 

IV.  STABLE  MANAGEMENT 47 

V.    CONDITION  AND  CONDITIONING 60 

VI.    THE  "GREEN"   OR  UNACCLIMATED  HORSE   AND 

His  CARE 73 

VII.    THE  HORSE'S  EDUCATION 81 

VIII.    MOUTHS  AND  MANNERS 99 

IX.    THE  FOOT  AND  ITS  TREATMENT 115 

X.    THE  APPOINTMENT  FAD »     %  125 

XI.    THE  SADDLE-HORSE 140 

XII.    THE  HUNTER  AND  His  EDUCATION      ....  159 

XIII.  THE  STEEPLECHASER  AND  His  SCHOOLING       .     .  180 

XIV.  RIDING  FOR  WOMEN  AND  CHILDREN     ....  197 

XV.    FOUR-IN-HAND  DRIVING        .     , 211 

vii 


CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

XVI.    COACHING  AND  ITS  ACCOMPANIMENTS      .  .     .      230 

XVII.    MANAGEMENT  OF  A  PACK  OF  HOUNDS    .  .      .      251 

XVIII.    SHOWING  HORSES  288 


Vlll 


ILL  USr RATIONS 


At  Exercise Frontispiece 

For  Road  Work Page    2 

Mr.  Reginald  Vanderbilt  and  his  runabout  pair. 
A  Smooth  Pebble ,,22 

For  Town  or  Park „      34. 

Mr.  A.  A.  Hausman's  Royal  Swell. 

A  Capital  Phaeton  Pair ,,48 

Mrs.  John  Gerken  driving  Brandon  and  Belmar. 

Worth  Schooling ,,      60 

Just  from  the  Country ,,74 

Even  All-round  Action ,,82 

Mr.  G.  B.  Hulme  and  his  prize  winner. 
Perfect  Manners ,,     98 

Mr.  R.  F.  Carman  and  a  prize  winner. 

My  Daughter's  Saddle-Horse ,,114 

Mrs.  John  Gerken' s  My  Lady  Dainty. 

Neatly   Appointed ,,126 

Mr.  Herbert  Coppell's  carriage  and  pair. 

A  Weight  Carrier ,,140 

H.  L.  de  Bussigny  riding, 
ix 


ILLUSTRATIONS 

Good  Form Pa£e   l6° 

Mr.  J.  Trowbridge  Martin  jumping  Samoset. 

A  Steeplechase  Type „     1 80 

On  Good  Terms »     J98 

Mrs.  H.  H.  Good  riding  Thyra. 
Fourteen   Miles  an   Hour ,,212 

Mr.  Alfred  G.  Vanderbilt  and  his  four. 

"Coach,   Gentlemen!" »     23° 

The  Good  Times  Coach. 
"  Pack  up  !  all  of  yer  !  " „     252 

Pennbrook  Hounds. 
Good  Types ,,288 

The  Gig  Class  at  Bay  Shore  Horse  Show. 


FIRST-HAND   BITS 
OF  STABLE  LORE 

Chapter   I 

HORSE   BUYING    AND   HORSE   TRYING 

SOONER    or   later   there  awakens  in    the 
breast  of  every  wholesome  and  normal 
man  the  desire  to  own  a  horse,  and,  that 
flame  once  kindled,  there  is  nothing  which 
will  assuage  it,  should  Fortune  prove  ordinarily 
urbane,  but  the  delights  —  and  the  disasters  —  of 
ownership.      To  "  witch    the   world   with    noble 
horsemanship"  has  been  the  ambition  of  many  an 
unsung  hero,  even  as  in  the  days  of  Jehu,  the  son 
of  Nimshi,  and  of  Alexander;  and  the  agility,  the 
decision  of  character,  the  patience,  and  the  courage 
such  pursuits  develop  are  invariably  the  strongest 
arguments  in  their  favor.     As  we  teach  our  chil- 
dren to  read  and  to  write,  so  should  we  thoroughly 
instruct  them  in  the  best  methods  of  equestrianism, 
watermanship,  marksmanship,  etc. ;  and  better  far 
1  i 


FIRST-HAND  BITS  OF  STABLE  LORE 

is  he  equipped  who  is  au  fait  in  such  accomplish- 
ments—  with  some  thoroughly  comprehended 
trade  to  fall  back  upon  if  necessary  —  than  the 
young  men  who  are  annually  turned  forth  in 
thousands  from  our  colleges  with  nothing  but  a 
"  sheepskin  "  to  cover  their  nakedness,  and  left 
trembling  upon  the  threshold  of  a  destiny  with 
which  their  average  collegiate  acquirements  have 
but  illy  fitted  them  to  cope.  That  courses  in 
such  matters  are  not  open  to  the  pupils  of  our 
universities  is  matter  for  comment  and  reflection, 
as  is  the  fact  that  modern  languages  have,  in  com- 
parison with  the  ancient,  until  recently  formed  but 
an  insignificant  portion  of  the  preliminary  require- 
ments and  regular  curriculum. 

Given  the  ambition  to  own  a  horse,  and  the 
question  of  "means"  affirmatively  answered,  the 
obstacle  of  "  ways "  remains ;  and  many  a  Mr. 
Neophyte  has  found,  or  fancied,  this  an  insur- 
mountable obstacle.  Generally  recourse  is  had  to 
Uncle  John,  whom  family  tradition  has  handed 
down  as  a  combination  of  the  serpent  and  the 
hawk  in  matters  equine ;  Cousin  Will  also  knows 
a  man  who  is  on  terms  of  friendship  with  another 
man  who  keeps  several  horses,  and  is  therefore  an 
expert;  grandma,  according  to  the  fairy-tales 


HORSE   BUYING   AND   TRYING 

recited  at  family  reunions  on  Thanksgiving  and 
Christmas,  was  a  regular  daredevil  in  her  salad 
days,  and  still  has  fancies  for  the  flowing  tails  and 
arching  necks  that  used  to  look  so  well  on  sofa 
cushion  and  sampler ;  the  news  spreads  through- 
out the  family  that  Henry  is  about  to  buy  a  horse, 
and  accordingly  Henry,  after  much  reflection  as 
to  how  that  act  will  affect  him  with  regard  to  his 
business  associates  and  social  intimates,  prepares 
for  the  fatal  plunge. 

Right  here  is  where  Mr.  Neophyte  accumulates 
a  cargo  of  trouble  that  would  stagger  a  dromedary 
if  he  does  not,  once  and  forever,  cast  grandmas, 
aunts,  cousins,  friends  and  all,  into  the  outer  dark- 
ness. A  man's  wife  and  his  horse  are  two  acquisitions 
which  he  must  choose  for  himself;  and  he  who  tries 
to  please  every  one  will  end  by  displeasing  them  as 
well  as  himself.  He  will  have  been  told  blood- 
curdlingtales  of  the  duplicity  and  chicanery  of  horse- 
dealers,  and  of  the  treacherous  and  evil  disposition 
of  horses ;  and  he  enters  upon  his  quest  with 
much  the  same  feeling  that  surges  in  the  breast 
of  a  twentieth-century  society  girl  on  her  first 
slumming  expedition,  —  prepared  to  be  dreadfully 
shocked,  and  finally  disappointed  that  the  incidents 
and  surroundings  are  common-place  after  all. 

3 


FIRST-HAND  BITS  OF  STABLE  LORE 

The  process  of  buying  a  satisfactory  horse  is  so 
very  simple  that  it  is  most  extraordinary  that  no 
one,  or  practically  no  one,  follows  it.  If  you 
want  a  set  of  furniture  you  go  to  a  store ;  look 
over  the  goods,  ask  the  prices,  select  your  arti- 
cles, and  pay  for  them ;  you  do  the  same  thing 
with  all  the  necessaries  and  luxuries  of  life,  save 
and  except  when  it  comes  to  the  purchase  of  a 
horse.  You  do  not  insult  the  furniture  dealer  by 
asking  idiotic  questions  about  things  of  which  you 
know  nothing  and  he  knows  you  know  nothing ;  if 
he  says  that  this  wood  is  mahogany, and  that  bruise 
came  from  an  accident  in  unpacking,  you  accept 
his  statement ;  you  do  not  look  at  him  with  the 
"  icy  eye  of  suspicion,"  as  one  who  would  say, 
"  Great  Scott !  what  a  monumental  liar  is  this  !  " 
nor,  when  he  has  named  his  price,  do  you  offer 
him  fifty  per  cent  thereof,  and  insinuate  that  he 
is  a  scoundrel  and  a  pirate  for  not  jumping  at  it. 
In  short  you  "go  shopping"  for  horses  as  you 
do  for  no  other  commodity,  and  if  you  "  get 
stuck  "  you  are,  in  nine  cases  out  of  ten,  obtain- 
ing your  just  deserts. 

If  you  want  to  buy  a  horse  go  to  any  dealer  — 
you  can't  go  wrong,  general  opinions  to  the  con- 
trary—  treat  him  like  a  man,  and  be  sure  he  will 

4 


HORSE    BUYING   AND    TRYING 

reciprocate,  be  he  Jew  or  Gentile,  "  Gyp "  or 
genuine.  Say  to  him,  "  I  want  a  horse  for  such 
and  such  purposes,  and  place  myself  absolutely 
in  your  hands,  save  that  I  shall  have  a  veteri- 
narian to  decide  whether  the  animal  is  practically 
sound,  and  reasonably  likely  to  remain  so  in  the 
work  for  which  I  intend  him.  I  know  absolutely 
nothing  about  horses  "  (it  will  cost  you  a  struggle 
to  acknowledge  this,  but  never  mind,  it 's  no  secret, 
for  the  dealer  knew  it  the  moment  you  walked 
into  the  yard,  and  he  will  think  a  lot  of  you  for 
being  man  enough  to  acknowledge  what  to  him 
was  perfectly  plain) ,  "  and  shall  be  guided  by  you 
not  only  in  the  selection,  but  in  the  subsequent 
treatment  of  my  purchase.  I  expect  a  frank 
description  of  all  my  acquisition's  shortcomings, 
that  I  may  allow  for  them."  Now,  if  that  dealer 
can  fit  you  out,  be  sure  he  will  do  it  to  the  very 
best  of  his  ability,  and  take  pride  in  so  doing. 
On  the  other  hand,  if  you  take  Uncle  John  along, 
that  worthy  old  gentleman  hops  around  the  beast 
produced  for  his  inspection,  like  an  old  crow 
around  a  bone,  and  makes  occasional  verbal  pecks 
in  this  fashion:  "  Six  years,  hey?  Had  his  mouth 
fixed,  likely.  I  '11  bet  he  won't  see  ten  again. 
What's  that  on  his  off  hock?  Nothing!  D'ye 

5 


FIRST-HAND  BITS  OF  STABLE  LORE 

call  that  hock  smooth?  Isn't  he  over  a  little 
mite  on  that  knee?  Eyes  look  kinder  blinky. 
Sure  he  ain't  moon-eyed,  hey  ?  Don't  kick,  does 
he  ?  Looks  kinder  mean.  Well,  hitch  him  up, 
and  if  he  don't  balk,  and  ain't  much  scared  of 
'lectrics,  why,  Henry,  we  '11  drive  him  up  to  the 
house  and  see  what  grandma  and  Mr.  Brown 
and  the  folks  think."  Now  what  is  a  dealer  to 
do  with  people  like  that?  What  would  you  do 
yourself  to  a  man  who  thus  maligned  a  horse  you 
knew  to  be  absolutely  all  right;  a  man  who,  you 
could  tell  the  moment  you  saw  him,  didn't  know 
a  horse-car  from  a  car-horse,  and  was  simply 
handing  out  a  lot  of  drivel  which  he  had  acquired 
at  second-hand,  and  with  which  he  was  trying  to 
impress  you.  Every  word  was  a  covert  insult; 
every  look  a  slap  in  the  face;  and  as  human  nature 
is  weak  and  prone  to  err,  we  must  not  blame  the 
dealer  if  he  occasionally  is  tried  too  far,  and  hands 
back  to  the  Uncle  Johns  (who  are  so  prevalent) 
"  what  is  coming  to  him,  and  good  and  plenty," 
as  Westerners  would  say. 

Remember  that,  as  a  class,  horse-dealers  are  as 
reputable  as  any  business  men.  Investigation 
will  prove  that  while  there  are  in  our  penal  insti- 
tutions numerous  black  sheep  of  all  trades,  busi- 

6 


HORSE    BUYING   AND   TRYING 

nesses,  and  professions,  there  are  precious  few 
horsemen.  Respect  decent  men,  and  let  them 
see  that  you  do.  You  will,  perhaps,  afford  them 
an  agreeable  and  a  novel  sensation.  Once  you 
have  taken  the  dealer's  word  and  completed  the 
transaction,  do  not  expect  that,  because  of  the 
wisdom  of  your  adviser,  or  through  your  own 
preternatural  sagacity,  your  $250  horse  is  worth 
at  least  $500.  One's  geese  may  be  swans,  but 
whatever  price  you  paid,  it  was  full  value,  and 
the  dealer  would  tell  you  so  if  you  asked  him. 
He  is  no  Santa  Claus,  nor  is  he  in  business  for 
health  any  more  than  you  pursue  your  own  avo- 
cation for  the  ozone  that  may  be  in  it.  He  got 
full  value,  or  you  would  n't  have  got  the  horse, 
and  upon  his  always  doing  so  depends  his  ability 
to  eat  porter-house  steak  whenever  his  appetite 
impels.  You  got  fair  value  for  your  money,  and 
that,  reader  mine,  is  about  all  we  can  ever  expect, 
in  this  vale  of  tears,  from  anybody. 

One  thing  more  and  we  will  be  moving.  When 
you  get  ready  to  sell,  don't,  for  pity's  sake,  be 
you  novice  or  expert,  imagine  that  you  can  use  a 
horse  from  three  to  ten  years,  and  then  get  for 
him  more  than  you  paid  originally.  A  $60  suit 
of  clothes  sells  for  $2  after  one  year's  wear.  Why 

7 


FIRST-HAND  BITS  OF  STABLE  LORE 

must  a  horse  that  cost  $250  stand  five  years*  hard 
usage  and  then  bring  $300,  or  the  man  that  you 
bought  him  of  be  held  up  as  a  rogue  forever  more  ? 
When  you  do  get  ready  to  sell  him,  never  under- 
take to  give  warranty,  which  perhaps  you  do  with 
the  best  intentions,  and  then  take  refuge  behind 
your  ignorance,  which  then  (and  only  then)  you 
are  willing  to  frankly  acknowledge.  If  you  could 
see  the  debit  accounts  on  the  books  of  every 
dealer  in  the  business  chargeable  to  the  screws  he 
has  bought  or  "traded  for"  (unseen)  from  his 
customers,  whose  representations  (generally  most 
flowery)  are  rarely  anywhere  near  accurate  ! 

The  horse  to  buy  is  the  animal  that  fills  the 
eye ;  in  other  words,  if  you  like  a  horse  and  his 
qualities  seem  satisfactory,  buy  him,  and  results 
will  almost  certainly  prove  likewise.  We  have 
several  good  show  ring  judges  who  select  their 
winners  practically  on  these  lines,  and  to  general 
satisfaction.  Distrust  the  sunken  eye,  and  the 
head  narrow  and  prominent  between  the  eyes  — 
that  horse  may  not  be  vicious,  but  he  is  peculiar 
and  probably  crochetty  —  perhaps  "a  good  'un 
w'en  yer  knows  'im,  but  yer  got  ter  know  'im 
fust."  Lop  ears  are  a  disfigurement;  jaws  that 
seem  narrow,  and  necks  that  are  thick  are  a  likely 


HORSE    BUYING   AND   TRYING 

combination,  after  some  sickness,  to  afford  you  a 
thick-winded  horse.  Buy  a  horse  largely  "on 
his  face,"  as  you  trust  a  man,  —  his  character  is 
there  if  you  can  read  it,  as  you  may  if  you  will 
try.  A  thick  and  heavy  shoulder  is  rather  "  har- 
nessy,"  yet  excellent  saddle  horses  and  hunters 
are  that  way  built  —  in  fact,  for  saddle  and  jump- 
ing purposes  we  have  for  generations  been  con- 
sidering the  wrong  end  of  the  horse.  Well- 
developed  withers  are  desirable,  especially  for  a 
lady's  hack,  but  never  forget  that  your  ride,  your 
ease  and  comfort,  come  from  the  other  end,  as 
we  shall  see  later.  As  to  legs  and  feet,  never 
mind  measurements  below  the  knee  and  around 
the  arm,  for  horses  work  on  for  years  on  legs  that 
are  all  out  of  proportion,  and  the  best  looking 
limbs  and  feet  go  wrong  in  no  time.  Therefore, 
if  you  like  the  looks  of  him,  go  ahead,  no  matter 
what  anybody  says  ;  buy  him,  if  he  's  reasonably 
sound,  but  don't  let  the  veterinary,  as  he  is  prone 
to  do,  attempt  to  predict  what  may  happen  after 
you  have  owned  him  six  years.  You  '11  all  be  in 
luck  if  any  of  you  are  alive  then.  Walk  him  and 
trot  him  (in  hand)  to  and  from  you  ;  if  he  does  n't 
stand  straight  and  move  straight,  if  he  "wings" 
or  "dishes,"  as  he  certainly  will  if  he  is  not 

9 


FIRST-HAND  BITS  OF  STABLE  LORE 

true  on  his  joints,  don't  have  him,  and  give  the 
dealer  the  reason,  —  that  is  one  thing  you  can 
see  and  judge  for  yourself.  Of  course  the  only 
probable  result  is  that  he  may  have  to  wear  boots 
somewhere,  but  moderate-priced  horses  are  too 
plenty  to  make  it  necessary  to  bother  with 
the  crooked-legged  sort.  At  "  bargain-counter  " 
rates  the  aspect  changes,  but  the  #3.98  horse 
(marked  up  from  $2.37)  is  better  left  to  the  expert 
(if  there  are  any  such  individuals).  "  Real  old 
English  "  prints  give  us  short  back,  rare  loins,  deep 
ribs,  long  quarters,  great  stifles,  and  second  thighs, 
and  all  that ;  English  sporting  prose  and  verse 
record  their  virtues  and  extol  their  necessity,  and 
the  result  would  be  as  vastly  edifying  as  desirable 
were  it  not  for  the  fact  that,  so  far  as  actual  im- 
portance goes,  every  one  of  these  much-lauded 
points  is  not  only  non-essential,  but  practically  of 
little  value !  A  short  back  is  becoming,  is  grace- 
ful, is  acceptable,  but  many  of  our  best  horses  — 
racing,  chasing,  saddling,  trotting,  driving,  and 
weight-carrying  —  have  been  as  long  as  a  street 
in  the  back,  as  slack  as  a  hammock  in  the  loin, 
as  shallow  in  back-rib  (not  front,  or  round  chest) 
as  a  soup-plate,  as  short  in  the  quarters  as  a 
Jersey  yearling,  and  as  narrow  and  undeveloped 

10 


HORSE    BUYING   AND   TRYING 

in  second  thighs  as  a  hound  pup ;  in  fact  not  a 
few  breeders  of  thoroughbreds  maintain  that  this 
latter  characteristic  is  essential  to  the  race  horse, 
and  Hanover  and  imported  Meddler  were  both 
entirely  wanting  in  any  development  there.  A 
tail,  well  set  and  gaily  carried,  is  attractive  and 
generally  evidence  of  good  courage,  yet  beware 
the  tail  that  is  carried  to  one  side,  for  it  is  almost 
an  infallible  signal  of  an  existing  weakness  of 
structure  somewhere  in  the  anatomy  of  that  side, 
which  may  have  developed,  may  be  developing, 
or  may  never  develop,  but  probably  will.  The 
drooping  quarter  and  low-set  tail  are  generally 
indications  that  a  horse  is  quick  on  his  feet,  and 
will  jump  well,  so  that,  in  race  horse  or  hunter, 
this  formation  is  rather  desirable.  The  horse 
whose  hocks  are  set  in  will  not  improbably  inter- 
fere, over-reach,  or  "  cross-fire; "  that  is,  overreach 
on  to  the  opposite  forefoot.  Your  veterinary  will 
tell  you  if  he  has  done  any  or  all  of  these  things, 
or  if  he  is  shod  to  correct  or  prevent  them ;  as 
also  whether  his  teeth  show  marks  of  cribbing,  his 
jugular  vein  has  been  interfered  with  by  bleeding, 
etc.  On  all  such  matters  be  guided  by  him. 

Above   all  things  get    the   bugbear   of  actual 
soundness  out  of  your  head,  and  be  satisfied  with 

n 


FIRST-HAND  BITS  OF  STABLE  LORE 

the  practical,  for  that 's  all  you  can  get,  anyway. 
No  horse  is  absolutely  sound,  so  why  bother? 
And  if  he  could  be,  and  you  used  him  hard 
enough  and  long  enough,  he  would  not  remain 
so.  The  fact  that  your  bookkeeper  has  a  "  base- 
ball "  finger  does  n't  worry  you ;  why  need  the 
fact  that  your  beast  exhibits  an  odd  splint,  spavin, 
bog,  etc.,  so  long  as  they  cause  no  lameness,  in- 
convenience you  more  than  him  ?  An  owner 
may  have  "spavin  on  the  brain,"  and  it  will 
affect  him  far  more,  nine  times  out  of  ten,  than 
it  does  his  family  slave,  who  cheerfully  carries  it 
about  for  years.  Nothing  is  so  certain  as  the 
fact  that,  if  a  blemish  or  unsoundness  exists,  there 
can  hardly  be  another  in  the  same  place  and  of 
the  same  sort,  and  the  man  who  buys  his  blem- 
ishes with  his  horse  is  relieved  of  a  vast  amount 
of  anxiety  as  to  whether  they  may  come,  by  the 
fact  that  they  already  exist.  You  may  say  that 
this  is  the  philosophical  view  to  take  of  it,  but 
what  more  important  and  generally  satisfactory 
view  can  one  take  of  anything  ?  And  what  is 
life,  anyway,  without  the  ability  to  so  view  mat- 
ters generally  ?  Remember,  this  is  not  written 
for  the  cc  expert "  (?)  owner,  the  rich  buyer,  the 
wholesale  user  of  horseflesh,  but  for  the  "  little 

12 


HORSE   BUYING   AND   TRYING 

men,"  who  are  in  a  state  of  transition  between 
steering  a  baby-carriage  and  a  horse,  and  who,  if 
they  find  actual  experience  satisfactory  and  econo- 
mical, may  develop  later  into  leviathan  purchasers, 
and  can  then  gratify  unhindered  personal  whims 
and  the  caprice  of  family  or  friends. 

A  horse  of  five  or  six  or  seven  years  is  not  as 
generally  sought  and  as  urgently  demanded  as 
was  the  case  some  years  ago.  This  is  for  practi- 
cal reasons.  The  animal  of  eight  to  twelve  is  in 
his  prime  ;  he  has  passed,  more  or  less  success- 
fully, through  the  trials  and  the  accidents  of  youth, 
and,  as  he  is  now,  so  will  he  probably  remain, 
for  as  many  years  as  any  horse  ought.  Practical 
soundness  in  a  horse  of  this  age  means  a  lot,  and 
it  is  for  that  reason,  among  others,  that  he  is  so 
much  more  desirable  than  a  younger  beast  to 
whose  condition  it  may  not  continue,  for  long,  to 
apply.  Invariably,  however,  go  to  one  expense 
with  such  a  horse,  and  never  omit  it ;  get  a  first- 
class  horse  dentist,  and  be  sure  that  his  teeth  are, 
or  are  placed,  in  thorough  order  —  the  outlay  will 
repay  you  a  hundredfold. 

Having  looked  him  over,  liked  him,  "  vet  "  ed 
him,  etc.,  we  will  proceed  to  try  him.  Right 
here,  and  generally  through  a  most  natural  and 

13 


FIRST-HAND  BITS  OF  STABLE  LORE 

over-looked  cause,  is  where  so  many  troubles  and 
so  much  dissatisfaction  arise  in  horse  buying.  A 
dealer  drives  all  day,  and  every  day,  all  sorts  of 
rough,  half-schooled  and  timid  horses,  in  the  pro- 
cess of  "  city-breaking  "  them  ;  going  past,  and  up 
to  all  sorts  of  objects  with  perfect  safety,  and  as 
a  matter  of  course  with  horses  which,  until  they 
learn  their  way  about,  would  climb  trees  and 
church-steeples  with  the  average  driver.  Conse- 
quently, he  is  utterly  unable  to  answer  intelli- 
gently the  question  whether  any  horse  is  quiet  and 
cc  family  broken."  He  is,  with  the  dealer,  a  per- 
fect lamb,  and  that  gentleman  honestly  considers 
him  so.  With  you  he  proves  a  regular  "  limb," 
and  dire  is  your  consequent  wrath,  and  great  the 
possible  destruction  of  your  property.  Yet  the 
horse  is  again,  in  the  dealer's  hands,  as  you  are 
much  mortified  to  find,  a  patent-safety  convey- 
ance. Both  parties  are  honest  in  such  transactions, 
and  both  right  according  to  their  lights,  but  the 
dealer  invariably  gets  the  worst  of  it.  Yet  it  was 
all  your  own  fault,  every  bit  of  it.  The  dealer 
knew  you  were  not  a  horseman  the  moment  he 
saw  you.  The  horse  realized  it  the  moment  you 
laid  hands  on  reins,  and  he  took  liberties  accord- 
ingly. The  dealer  could  not  possibly  know  what 


HORSE    BUYING   AND   TRYING 

a  duffer  you  would  prove,  and  was  absolutely- 
honest  in  his  representations.  Yet  trouble  en- 
sues, and  nothing  will  convince  you  that  he  is  not 
a  scamp,  and  him  that  you  are  not  a  hopeless 
imbecile.  To  prevent  any  such  misunderstand- 
ings insist  upon  driving  yourself  from  the  time 
you  leave  the  stable  door  —  and  out  of  the  door 
also.  If  the  horse  is  too  much  for  you  in  any 
way,  say  so  frankly,  and  try  another,  nor  let  false 
pride  prevent.  The  dealer  is  trying  to  suit ;  give 
him  a  fair  chance  and  prevent  all  afterclaps. 
Drive  the  horse  to  the  objects  you  want  him  to 
see,  and  allow  no  argument  against  it.  Explain 
this  to  the  owner  before  you  start,  and  don't  let 
him  harness  the  horse  unless  the  understanding 
to  that  effect  is  clear.  His  time  is  worth  as 
much  as  yours.  Don't  be  satisfied  with  a  trial  at 
electric  cars,  for  instance,  in  the  city  streets.  No 
horse  minds  them  there  unless  he  is  a  regular 
Indian.  Find  things  to  suit  you,  and  take  no 
one's  "sayso"  for  any  such  particulars.  If  the 
dealer  will  not  agree  to  this,  which  is  absolutely  a 
fair  trial,  tell  him  to  "  keep  his  old  horse."  There 
are  others  ;  and  you  are  well  within  your  rights. 
The  qualities  of  a  horse  must  absolutely  suit,  or 
you  are  foolish  to  take  him,  and  many  a  cut  of 

'5 


FIRST-HAND  BITS  OF  STABLE  LORE 

the  whip,  and  "jab"  in  the  mouth  will  be  his 
luckless  portion  because  he  does  some  little  thing, 
or  has  some  little  trick,  which  you  don't  like. 

Be  sure  the  animal  backs  freely  (many  of  them 
do  not) ,  and  that  up  hill.  Let  him  get  his  tail 
over  the  reins  ;  he'd  better  kick  then,  if  he's  that 
way  inclined,  than  after  you  own  him.  Hit  him 
sharply  near  the  root  of  the  tail  for  the  same 
reason ;  pull  him  up  sharp,  and  start  him  quickly 
to  see  if  he  is  balky  or  inclined  to  get  mad,  and 
to  be  hot  about  it ;  in  short,  put  him  through  any 
cc  stunts  "  you  consider  necessary  or  advisable,  but 
invariably  have  a  distinct  understanding  with  the 
dealer  first. 

Now  that  your  Bucephalus  is  tried,  and  we 
hope  bought  and  taken  home,  there  are  two  things 
to  be  especially  insisted  upon.  First,  use  him, 
and  keep  using  him.  Don't  think  because  he  is 
new  to  you  that  he  is  too  precious  to  work.  The 
reason  for  his  demure  behavior  is  because  he  has 
labored  regularly  and  steadily  for  somebody,  so 
keep  him  going. 

"  Mark  that  day  lost  which  sees  the  setting  sun 
Descend  upon  at  least  ten  miles  undone  " 

may  be  pasted  over  Charlie's  box-stall  door  (let 's 
hope  you  will  give  him  a  box).  So  use  him 

16 


HORSE   BUYING  AND   TRYING 

regularly  and  plentifully,  that 's  what  he  is  for ; 
nor,  if  you  and  the  groom  and  the  children  and 
grandma  and  the  entire  outfit  will  all  persist  in  feed- 
ing him  and  in  driving  him,  perhaps  only  to  the 
post-office  and  back,  can  you  blame  either  Charlie  or 
his  former  master  if  some  day,  in  sheer  lightness  of 
heart,  he  sends  the  dasher  flying  about  your  ears. 
Secondly,  never  believe  the  ghost  story  that 
Charlie  or  any  other  horse  is,  was,  or  will  be 
"  safe  for  women  to  drive,"  for  that  means 
safe  under  every  and  all  possible  (and  impossible) 
conditions ;  no  such  horse  was  ever  foaled,  and 
putting  women  aside,  no  horse  is  "  absolutely 
safe"  for  any  man  to  drive.  There  are  three 
very  excellent  reasons  why  no  woman,  unaccom- 
panied by  a  man,  should  drive  any  horse ;  that  is, 
the  average  woman  who  "sometimes  used  to 
drive  old  Nellie  and  the  carryall  when  a  girl," 
and  who,  now  that  Henry  is  able  to  afford  a  turn- 
out, wants  to  take  the  family  out  behind  the  new 
horse  because  the  dealer  said  "a  woman  could 
drive  him/'  A  woman  has  never  been  taught  to 
shut  her  hands  (and  has  no  strength  when  they 
are  shut) ;  she  wears  gloves  generally  much  too 
small  for  her,  or,  if  large  enough,  they  button  tight 
around  the  wrist,  which  is  as  bad,  so  far  as  cramp- 

17 


FIRST-HAND  BITS  OF  STABLE  LORE 

ing  the  muscles  goes,  and  she  does  not  "  make 
allowances  ;  "  everything  the  new  horse  does  must 
be  the  identical  thing  that  old  Nellie  did,  and  that 
respected  and  defunct  family  treasure  is  the  coat 
which  the  cloth  of  the  new  horse  must  fit,  or 
woe  to  his  former  possessor  —  the  dealer.  A 
horse  is  a  fool,  and  he  is  a  coward ;  his  mind  is 
one-ideaed ;  and  what  he  has  done  is  no  criterion 
of  what  he  may  do  at  the  next  moment.  Nature 
constructed  him  thus,  and  he  is  not  to  be  blamed 
for  his  limitations,  but  they  must  be  recognized 
and  allowed  for.  The  man  who  unreservedly 
places  his  family  at  the  mercy  of  any  horse  under 
feminine  guidance  courts  disaster,  which  is  almost 
certain  sooner  or  later  to  arrive ;  and  the  dealer 
who  sells  a  horse  with  a  warranty  that  it  is  safe 
for  a  woman  to  use,  does  a  most  reprehensible 
thing,  and  carelessly  exposes  to  danger  thousands 
of  innocent  lives.  A  horse  fears  nothing  familiar, 
nearly  everything  that  is  strange ;  a  woman's 
skirts  fluttering  in  the  wind  will  stampede  a  herd 
of  plains  horses,  who  will,  any  of  them,  allow  one 
to  shoot  from  their  backs ;  and  some  day  the  one 
dreadful  object  heaves  in  view  ;  foolishness  prompts 
fear,  fear  flight ;  weak  arms,  slender  hands,  and 
tight  gloves  play  their  useless  parts,  and  Mary 

18 


HORSE    BUYING   AND   TRYING 

and  the  children  are  sprinkled  over  the  country- 
side as  victims  to  man's  folly. 

Perhaps  all  this  may  sound  very  discouraging, 
but  be  that  as  it  may,  isn't  it  true,  and  aren't  we, 
lots  of  us,  "monkeying"  with  an  equine"  buzz- 
saw  "  that  needs  proper  attention  and  fairly  capa- 
ble engineers  to  handle  it?  A  danger  that  is 
appreciated  is  half  prevented,  and  if  those  who 
realize  their  own  shortcomings  in  such  matters  will 
but  see  to  it  that  their  boys  and  girls  are  from 
childhood  accustomed  to,  and  properly  instructed 
in,  the  methods  of  managing  successfully  horses 
and  other  animals,  they  will  endow  their  children 
with  a  most  valuable  mental,  moral,  physical,  and 
(possibly)  pecuniary  asset;  they  will  add  incalcu- 
lably to  the  safety  of  traffic  in  all  thoroughfares  in 
town  and  country  ;  they  will  open  up  wide  fields  of 
pleasure  to  their  offspring,  and  they  will  further 
by  leaps  and  bounds  the  proper  appreciation,  the 
humane  and  common-sense  management  of  horses, 
and,  through  that,  of  all  kinds  of  dumb  animals. 

The  S.  P.  C.  A.  has  most  signally  and 
singularly  missed  the  point  at  which  it  has  aimed 
because  of  the  neglect  of  this  very  matter  of  teach- 
ing the  children  the  proper  management  of 
animals,  and  making  it  a  part  of  their  up-bring- 


FIRST-HAND  BITS  OF  STABLE  LORE 

ing.  What  matters  it  that  an  occasional  brute  of 
a  man  is  imprisoned  or  fined  ?  He  knows  no 
better,  nor  will  his  descendants  learn  from  his 
punishment.  Show  them  the  why  and  wherefore 
of  such  matters  by  actual  demonstration,  talks, 
lectures,  pictures,  living  examples,  and  teach  them 
not  only  the  proper  treatment  of  birds,  cats,  dogs, 
horses,  etc.,  but  explain  to  them  in  a  practical 
way  how  and  why  things  are  right  and  wrong. 
Text-books  and  pamphlets  are  all  very  well,  but 
they  are  not  practical,  and  no  one  knows  that 
more  quickly  than  the  children  for  whom  they 
are  intended.  Such  matters  should  be  part  of 
the  curriculum  of  every  school  (public  or  private) 
and  college ;  not  the  dilettante  end  of  it,  but  the 
hard,  old  business  end  that  has,  after  all,  so  much 
in  it  of  sentiment,  of  sympathy,  of  romance  to 
those  who  really  love  dumb  animals  and  appre- 
ciate their  needs  and  their  neglect. 

Prices,  of  course,  vary  as  widely  as  do  the  merits 
of  the  animals  sought.  A  good,  plain,  family 
horse  will  cost  all  the  way  from  $100  to  #250, 
the  first  figure,  or  perhaps  a  trifle  less,  being 
sufficient  to  secure  a  practically  sound,  "  second- 
hand" animal,  displaying  probably  the  scars  and 
effects  of  honorable  toil,  but  none  the  worse  for 

20 


HORSE    BUYING   AND   TRYING 

them  so  far  as  utility  goes.  The  last-named  figure 
will  secure  as  good  a  horse  as  any  one  needs  for 
family  purposes,  —  sound,  rugged,  free,  powerful 
and  clever.  The  family  horse  may  be  called  the 
staple  of  the  carriage-horse  trade,  and  from  him  up- 
ward prices  increase  by  leaps  and  bounds  in  propor- 
tion to  the  possession  of  the  "  Seven  Royal  S's,"  — 
Symmetry,  Speed,  Style,  Size,  Shape,  Substance  and 
Safety.  Such  figures  as  $500  to  $2,500,  for  single 
horses,  $1,000  to  $5,000  for  pairs,  etc.,  are  prices 
paid  every  day,  and  exciting  no  special  comment. 
Never  buy  a  horse  in  the  spring,  for  the  reason 
that  the  active  market  puts  prices  up  40%:  nor 
sell  in  the  fall,  since  opposite  conditions  cause  the 
same  ratio  of  depreciation.  The  winter  or  the 
summer  are  also  appropriate  times  to  invest,  but 
you  are  apt  to  find  then  only  the  leavings  of  the 
active  seasons.  As  every  one  else  sells  in  the 
fall,  do  you  buy  then,  even  if  you  have  to  board 
out  your  purchase  until  wanted.  It  is  the  cheap- 
est plan,  and  there  are  hundreds  of  excellent 
animals  on  sale  which,  fresh  from  the  country  in 
the  previous  spring,  have  been  used  just  enough 
to  thoroughly  season,  city-break,  and  way-wise 
them.  These  are  your  choicest  bargains. 


21 


Chapter    II 

AS   TO   "SOUNDNESS'1 

IN  view  of  the  increasing  difficulty  in  obtaining 
strictly  high-class  horses  for  any  purpose,  it 
would  appear  inevitable  that  the  consumer 
must  make  up  his  mind  to  accept  fair-class 
horses  that  are  not  quite  sound,  or  to  put  up  with 
sound  animals  of  moderate  individual  merits.  It 
is  becoming  impossible  for  dealers  to  find  sound 
horses  of  the  highest  class.  In  no  country  are 
the  buyers'  exactions  as  to  soundness  as  severe  as 
they  are  in  America,  and  in  no  country  are  they 
so  unreasonably  and  unwisely  strict,  —  "  unreas- 
onably "  because  perfection  is  insisted  upon  when 
certain  departures  from  it  do  not  affect  usefulness, 
and  "  unwisely "  because  the  presence  of  these 
defects  will  often  result  in  the  rejection  of  an 
animal  otherwise  exactly  suitable  to  the  buyer 
and  his  purposes.  To  the  average  purchaser, 
absolute  soundness  is  a  "bugaboo"  which  he, 
parrot-like,  insists  upon ;  fearing  to  invest  in 

22 


AS   TO    "SOUNDNESS" 

anything  to  which  the  adjective  may  not  properly 
apply.  Of  course  the  majority  of  buyers  are 
unable  to  decide  for  themselves  as  to  what  defects 
are  really  injurious,  or  likely  to  become  so ;  or 
even  to  determine  whether  blemishes  exist  at  all. 
In  this  emergency  the  veterinarian  is  called  in, 
and  the  matter  is  blindly  left  to  his  verdict,  which 
is  competent  so  far  as  concerns  physical  merit, 
but  generally  weak  when  it  includes  an  opinion  as 
to  the  fitness  of  the  animal  for  the  purpose 
intended.  It  will  thus  be  seen  that  the  veter- 
inary is  generally  (in  private  dealing  at  least) 
the  arbiter  who  decides  the  points  at  issue,  and 
that,  so  far  as  a  "  deal "  is  concerned,  he  is  the 
power  behind  the  throne. 

Not  only  by  private  buyers,  but  by  the  dealers 
themselves,  is  the  veterinarian  consulted  more  and 
more  every  day ;  his  opinions  are  more  carefully 
weighed,  and  his  place  in  the  horse-world  more 
generally  appreciated  and  properly  recognized. 
He  has  it  in  his  power,  therefore,  by  timely  word 
and  proper  demonstration,  largely  to  modify  the 
exactions  of  a  public  which  does  not  at  all  realize 
that  it  is  demanding  impossibilities  when  it  insists 
upon  having  a  sound  horse,  —  such  a  creature  hav- 
ing never  been  seen  —  and  to  cause  it  to  realize 

23 


FIRST-HAND  BITS  OF  STABLE  LORE 

that  the  practically  sound  animal,  varying  only  in 
degree  and  amount  of  physical  imperfections,  is 
the  best  to  be  expected. 

The  veterinary  surgeons  should  agree  (as  they 
have  it  so  easily  in  their  power,  through  their 
different  associations,  to  do)  upon  some  line  of 
action  in  this  matter,  which  they  will  universally 
adopt,  and  upon  distinct  modifications  of  the 
requirements  of  the  public,  which  they  will  rec- 
ommend, publishing  to  the  world  exactly  what 
these  are,  and  standing  by  them.  The  younger 
members  of  the  fraternity  would  be  especially 
helped  by  such  action,  for  while  they  have,  one 
and  all,  the  technical  part  of  the  profession  at 
their  fingers*  and  tongues'  end,  they  are  neces- 
sarily lacking  in  that  practical  application  which 
is  so  absolutely  a  matter  of  observation  and  ex- 
perience. Carried  away  by  enthusiasm  for  their 
calling,  and  filled  with  lofty  resolutions  of  never 
passing  an  animal  not  perfectly  sound ;  rigor- 
ously applying  in  all  points  the  precepts  of  their 
instructors,  these  young  men  unwittingly  work  a 
lot  of  injustice  to  sellers,  and  prevent  many  buyers 
from  investing  in  horses  perfectly  suited  to  their 
needs,  and  physically  able  for  service  of  many 
years'  duration,  simply  because  the  animals  are  un- 

24 


AS   TO   "SOUNDNESS" 

fortunate  enough  to  fall  short  of  the  high  physical 
standard  arbitrarily  imposed.  For  another  thing, 
there  are  numerous  veterinarians,  who  —  whisper  ! 
—  are  not  horsemen  ;  that  is,  in  the  broad  sense  of 
being  "  born  horsemen."  They  know  technique, 
they  have  an  eagle  eye  and  velvet  touch  and  all 
the  other  qualifications  for  the  job,  but  they  are 
not  horsemen.  They  have  been  taught  the  busi- 
ness all  right  enough,  but  they  lack  the  intuitive 
appreciation  of  the  "  born  horseman  "  to  apply  it 
fairly  for  the  best  interests  of  all. 

Many  angry  mutterings  are  heard  at  our  horse- 
shows  every  year  through  this  lack  of  any  recog- 
nized system.  The  show-ring  legend,  "  Horses 
must  be  practically  sound,"  means  what  ?  And 
the  occasional  stipulation,  "  Horses  must  be 
sound  "  (no  "  if"  or  "  perhaps  "  about  it),  is  to  be 
construed  how  ?  And  how  many  of  the  horses, 
exhibited  in  any  class,  would  receive  a  clean  bill 
of  health  ?  A  splint  is  a  splint,  a  filled  tendon  is 
nothing  else,  a  coarse  hock  is  not  smooth,  a  "  bit 
of  a  cold"  is  not  good  wind.  Where  shall  the 
line  be  drawn,  and  who  shall  draw  it  ? 

The  foreign  buyers,  especially  the  English- 
men, have  "  wiped  our  eye "  significantly  over 
this  soundness  matter.  Bumpy  or  smooth,  if  the 

25 


FIRST-HAND  BITS  OF  STABLE  LORE 

horses  "  look  the  part"  and  fill  the  eye,  they  will 
not  be  denied,  and  insist  upon  but  two  points 
—  a  horse's  wind  and  eyes  must  be  good.  The 
heavy  English  climate  and  the  fondness  for  horse- 
beans  and  other  concentrated  food  over  there, 
work  havoc  with  lungs,  throat,  and  eyes,  and  for- 
eign talent  is  therefore  naturally  suspicious  of 
"  roarers,"  «  whistlers,"  "  grunters,"  "  wheezers," 
and  "  blinky  'uns,"  as  a  dealer  put  it.  For  other 
bodily  infirmities,  however,  they  have  a  large 
toleration,  and  will  put  up  with  all  sorts  of 
"ornaments"  if  considered  in  the  price.  In  no 
particular  have  they  so  taught  us  a  lesson  as  in  the 
matter  of  purchasing  cavalry  and  artillery  horses. 
Our  idiotic  governmental  requirements  compel 
inspectors  to  condemn  quantities  of  capital  animals, 
merely  on  the  ground  of  slight  physical  defects 
that  amount  to  nothing,  resulting  in  the  accumu- 
lation of  a  lot  of  brutes  for  our  army  use  that 
have  no  merit  whatever  but  that  of  freedom  from 
blemish,  and  are  in  many  cases  utterly  unfit  for 
the  purposes  intended.  The  foreigner,  on  the 
contrary,  fills  his  hand  from  our  discards,  with  the 
result  that  he  accumulates  from  the  leavings  of 
our  inspectors  a  cracking  lot  of  horses,  a  credit 
to  any  army,  but  many  of  them  blemished  in 

26 


AS   TO   "SOUNDNESS" 

unimportant  ways,  practical  soundness  being 
good  enough. 

When  does  a  "  coarse  "  hock  become  a  "  spav- 
ined "  hock  ?  What  constitutes  a  "  well-placed" 
splint  ?  Shall  a  horse  always  be  "  turned  down  " 
for  side-bones  when  his  work  is  to  be  on  soft 
ground,  if  he  is  not  lame  at  the  time  and  is  eight 
or  ten  years  old ;  bearing  in  mind  that  many  a 
horse  is,  although  thus  afflicted,  working  on  city 
"  rocks  "  and  going  sound  ?  Shall  a  "  properly 
placed  "  ( ! )  ringbone  always  disqualify  ?  Shall 
curbs  condemn,  without  regard  to  age,  the  shape 
of  the  leg  and  the  manner  of  shoeing  ?  Shall 
"wire  cuts"  be  considered  as  to  possible  future 
effect,  etc.  ?  These  and  dozens  of  other  matters 
might  well  be  settled  officially  by  our  veterinary 
societies,  and  a  full  and  free  discussion  of  them 
courted  both  from  the  professional  and  the 
amateur,  the  buyer's  and  the  seller's  stand- 
point. 

Considering  the  most  common  forms  of  un- 
soundness,  from  the  practical  standpoint  of  the 
consumer,  not  from  the  technical  position  of 
the  veterinarian,  the  matter  of  splints  occupies 
the  first  place.  The  following  points  must  be 
considered  in  deciding  as  to  the  practical  useful- 
ay 


FIRST-HAND  BITS  OF  STABLE  LORE 

ness  of  an  animal  so  afflicted,  —  his  age,  the  size 
and  location  of  the  deposit,  the  work  required, 
his  action  and  the  peculiarities  of  his  gait.  Situ- 
ated close  under  the  knee,  or  in  the  form  called 
"pegged,"  splints  almost  invariably  cause  trouble, 
interfering  with  articulation  (possibly)  in  the  one 
case,  and  with  the  tendons  in  the  other.  The 
very  low  placed  splint  is  suspicious  for  the  same 
reason.  Any  splints  on  horses  under  five  years 
old  are  likely,  owing  to  immaturity  of  the  subject, 
to  cause  trouble.  A  very  large  splint,  wherever 
situated,  is  also  open  to  condemnation ;  of  course 
for  draught  purposes,  concussion  being  less,  all 
risks  are  smaller.  High  action  not  only  produces 
but  often  largely  increases  any  deposit.  Many 
animals  that  "wind,"  "paddle,"  or  "dish,"  will 
brush  a  splint  so  lightly  as  not  to  cause  a  blemish, 
but  will  produce  an  irritation  and  soreness  which 
results  in  lameness.  Imperfect  action  is  always 
to  be  regarded  with  distrust. 

The  presence  of  spavin  —  qualified  frequently 
under  the  complimentary  title  of  "  coarse  hock  " 
-is  becoming  astonishingly  common,  and  the 
number  of  horses  so  afflicted  which  are  in  daily  hard 
work,  and  free  from  conspicuous  or  troublesome 
lameness,  is  remarkable.  The  true f(  coarse  hock  " 

28 


AS   TO   "  SOUNDNESS  " 

is  as  durable  as  the  smooth  joint,  if  not  more  so, 
and  its  very  roughness  and  prominence  about  the 
articulation  seems  to  proclaim  its  rugged  quality. 
This  roughness  of  the  hock-joint,  however,  will 
generally  be  found  to  be  accompanied  by  the 
same  general  characteristics  in  all  the  articulations 
of  the  individual,  and  a  truly  "  coarse  hock "  is 
seldom  or  never  present  in  an  animal  of  otherwise 
fine-grained  quality ;  nor  is  an  animal  likely  to 
have  one  coarse  hock,  and  one  smooth  one ;  in 
either  of  these  cases  any  deviation  from  smooth- 
ness must  logically  be  classed  as  true  spavin. 
Suspicion  in  any  case  may  be  made  certainty  by 
driving  the  suspect  until  thoroughly  warmed  up, 
leaving  him  in  his  stall  for  an  hour  or  two,  and 
then  re-examining  him  (watching  especially  how 
he  backs  out  of  the  stall) ,  and  turning  him  sharply 
both  ways  before  trotting  him,  slowly,  to  halter, 
and  with  his  head  loose.  You  may  also  hold  his 
foot  well  up  against  the  stomach  for  a  few 
moments  to  cramp  the  hock-joint,  and  then  trot 
him  again.  If  afflicted  he  will  surely  go  lame, 
although  a  sound  horse  will  generally  do  the  same 
for  a  few  steps,  if  you  cramp  the  joint  long  enough. 
Curb  never  matters  provided  the  horse  be 
eight  years  old  or  more,  has  a  naturally  good  and 

29 


FIRST-HAND  BITS  OF  STABLE  LORE 

true-shaped  hind  leg,  and  shows  no  lameness 
after  cooling  out.  The  sickle-hocked,  round- 
boned  sort  should  be  left  alone,  even  if  smooth ; 
for  any  strain  or  wrench  may  "  spring "  the 
blemish.  Many  horses  have  a  natural  prominence 
at  the  curb-place  caused  by  the  extension  of  the 
cuboid  bones ;  but  if  there  is  no  enlargement  of 
the  sheath  of  the  tendon  there,  the  horse  is  sound. 
Any  fresh  curb  causes  inflammation,  pain  and 
ensuing  lameness,  temporary  in  nature  only.  As 
a  precautionary  measure,  all  horses  with  curb,  or 
curby  hocks,  should  be  shod  with  shoes  raised  at 
the  heels. 

Sound  wind  is  usual  in  the  East,  almost  uni- 
versal in  the  altitudes  of  the  far  West.  Practi- 
cally we  are  troubled  only  with  "roarers"  and 
"  whistlers."  The  "  grunter  "  (which  may  develop 
something  more)  is  carefully  rejected  by  English- 
men, because  of  their  heavier  home  climate,  but 
we  are  never  troubled  by  him,  as  the  infirmity  is 
only  rarely  noticeable.  Nearly  all  such  horses 
may  be  greatly  helped  by  keeping  the  neck  and 
jowl  well  sweated  out ;  and  occasionally  artificial 
means  will  almost  entirely  prevent  the  noise. 

Osselets  —  small  bony  deposits  on  the  front 
ankles  —  are  very  common  in  the  race-horse,  and 

30 


AS   TO   "SOUNDNESS" 

not  unusual  in  other  varieties  which  are,  when 
immature,  put  to  severe  work.  They  cause  per- 
manent blemishes  of  various  sizes,  but  are  rarely, 
after  growth  is  attained  and  inflammation  allayed, 
the  cause  of  permanent  lameness. 

Ring-bones  and  side-bones  are  serious  blemishes 
at  times,  but  do  not  necessarily  interfere  with 
work.  Side-bone  —  a  thickening  and  hardening 
of  the  cartilages  contiguous  to  the  coronet  — 
causes  severe  lameness,  generally  permanent,  espe- 
cially where  fast  work  is  done,  and  can  be  relieved 
only  by  the  generally  misunderstood  and  improp- 
erly condemned  process  of  "nerving."  But  the 
ring-boned  animal  may  work  on  for  years. 

An  animal  burdened  with  any  or  all  of  the  above- 
mentioned  ailments  may  outwork  and  outlast  the 
stable-mate  with  a  clear  bill  of  health,  and,  through 
necessity,  the  buying  public  will  soon  acquire  a 
toleration  in  the  matter  of  absolute  soundness 
which  at  present  it  does  not  evince.  As  Pooh 
Bah  says  in  the  "  Mikado,"  "  Bless  you,  it  all 
depends,"  and  in  the  next  few  years  we  shall  see 
many  a  blemished  and  technically  unsound  horse 
filling  his  place  in  the  owner's  affections,  and  his 
position  as  a  useful  slave  as  honorably  as  capably. 

When,  then,  is  a  horse  "  usefully  sound  "  ?     He 


FIRST-HAND  BITS  OF  STABLE  LORE 

is  so  when  his  infirmities  do  not  interfere  with  the 
work  at  which  you  intend  to  use  him.  Thus  an 
animal  which  is  quite  lame  is  "usefully  sound  " 
for  slow  work  ;  a  hunter  may  be  crippled  in  any 
ways  that  do  not  affect  his  galloping  and  jumping. 
But  his  eyes  and  wind  must  be  sound.  A  carriage- 
horse  must  trot  sound,  and  be  sound  of  wind  and 
eyes  (although  if  one  eye  has  by  an  accident  been 
destroyed,  it  rarely  affects  usefulness).  A  saddle- 
horse  must  be  useable  as  such.  Sprung  knees 
in  all  these  cases  are  in  the  nature  of  blemishes 
only,  and,  opinion  to  the  contrary,  the  strongest 
knee  is  the  natural  "  buck-knee/'  Such  animals 
are  generally  particularly  sure-footed  and  safe  on 
their  feet. 

A  horse  with  navicular  disease,  quarter-crack, 
corns,  quittor,  etc.,  is  usefully  sound  for  certain 
work.  The  opinion  of  the  veterinary  is  the  safest 
guide  in  all  such  matters,  and  is  what  you  pay 
him  to  express. 


Chapter  III 

STABLING   AND   STABLES 

IT  is  unfortunate  for  the  horses  and  servants 
who  have  to  occupy  them  that  so  few  stables 
are  built  by  practical  men ;  or  perhaps  it 
is    because    architects    and    builders    com- 
prise   few  horsemen  in  their  ranks.     Externally 
these  structures  are    usually  highly    ornamental, 
and    frequently  extremely  attractive ;    internally, 
while  appearing  to  the  owner  and  his  friends  all 
that  ingenuity  can  devise    and    convenience    de- 
mand, they  fall   short  in    many    of  the  real    es- 
sentials, and  prove  inconvenient,  unhealthy,  and 
far  from    satisfactory.     Architecturally    they    are 
triumphs ;  practically  they  are  failures,  presenting 
wrong  exposures,  and  providing  scientific  drainage 
and  ventilation  which  ought  to  be  satisfactory,  as 
being  of  the   most  expert  and   newly  approved 
patterns,  but  which  do  not  prove  so.      Horses 
ought  to  do  well  in  them,  but  are  always  ailing. 
Varnish  should  keep  bright;  panels  whole;  linings 
3  33 


FIRST-HAND  BITS  OF  STABLE  LORE 

dry;  and  harness  in  good  order,  but  somehow 
they  don't. 

In  the  same  way,  by  all  the  accepted  laws  re- 
lating to  building  materials,  cement  or  stone  floors 
should  be  the  best,  and  brick  buildings  the  warmest 
or  coolest  according  to  the  season  ;  but  none  of 
these  results  necessarily  obtain,  and  the  scientific 
erection  is  a  dismal  failure  from  every  useful  point. 
Probably  the  most  expensive  and  extensive 
stable  ever  built  in  America,  containing  the  most 
costly  collection  of  horses  in  the  world,  has 
proved  so  absolutely  worthless  and  unwholesome 
that  nearly  every  one  of  its  valuable  inmates 
was  taken  sick  with  lung  fever,  many  of  them 
dying,  and  those  which  recovered  being  rendered 
valueless  for  racing  purposes.  Another  enor- 
mously costly  set  of  farm-buildings,  erected  for 
one  of  our  millionaires  had,  when  completed,  no 
place  to  store  away  hay,  so  that  another  building 
had  to  be  put  up  for  the  purpose.  Many  other 
similar  cases  could  be  mentioned. 

What,  then,  are  the  essentials  of  a  stable,  and 
how  may  they  best  be  secured  ?  Convenience 
for  all  work  comes  first,  then  ventilation,  next 
drainage,  and  then  proper  exposure  and  situation. 
Convenience  (for  man  and  horse)  is  vitally  neces- 

34 


STABLING   AND   STABLES 

sary  to  secure  comfort  and  the  saving  of  time. 
Good  ventilation  will  do  away  with  many  of  the 
evils  of  bad  drainage,  and  if  both  of  these  are  per- 
fect, the  defects  of  exposure  may  be  counter- 
acted by  verandas  or  awnings,  and  thickly  lined 
walls.  Situation  is  unimportant  if  all  the  other 
details  are  first  class,  and  high  land  or  low,  wet 
or  dry,  the  building  may  be  perfectly  wholesome. 

Horses  should  always  be  stalled  on  the  north 
or  west  sides  of  a  stable  in  order  to  escape  the 
effects  of  the  sun  which  causes,  by  its  heat,  violent 
and  extreme  variations  in  temperature  during 
each  twenty-four  hours,  throughout  all  seasons  of 
the  year.  The  animal  will  bear  perfectly  almost 
any  extremes  of  heat  or  cold  providing  it  is 
equable  ;  but  neither  his  constitution,  his  clothing, 
nor  his  attendance  and  environment  can  adapt 
themselves  to  the  rapid  changes  which  our  climate 
assures  from  a  southern  or  eastern  exposure. 

No  stable  should  ever  accommodate  in  one 
apartment  more  than  twelve  to  twenty  horses,  for 
the  reason  that  if  many  of  them  in  cold  weather, 
go  out  at  the  same  time,  the  removal  of  so  much 
animal  heat  causes  an  immediate  drop  in  temper- 
ature, which  the  opening  of  various  doors  aug- 
ments ;  just  as,  in  the  heated  term,  the  return  of 

35 


FIRST-HAND  BITS  OF  STABLE  LORE 

these  horses  may  raise  the  thermometer  to  a  dis- 
tressing point,  and  if  the  stable  is  then  closed,  as 
at  night,  may  seriously  affect  the  inmates.  More 
illness  is  caused  in  such  ways  than  people  at  all 
realize  or  provide  for.  It  is  very  easy  to  sub- 
divide all  large  stables  in  some  way  so  that  all 
the  animals  are  not  kept  in  one  lot.  Every  large 
building  must  be  draughty,  and  nothing  will  pre- 
vent this  but  apartments  of  reasonable  size,  and 
careful  attention  to  doors  and  windows. 

All  stables  must  be  arranged  so  that  the  opera- 
tions of  cleaning,  harnessing,  etc.,  can  be  consec- 
utive, since  this  means  an  enormous  saving  of 
time  and  labor.  Backed  from  his  stall,  the  horse 
should  proceed  by  direct  progress  from  brushing 
over  to  harness ;  from  harness  to  vehicle ;  and 
thence  out  of  the  door,  reversing  this  proceeding 
on  his  return,  and  arriving  in  his  living-room 
clean,  and  ready  for  food  and  rest,  his  equipments 
left  at  their  appropriate  place  along  the  way  from 
the  entrance.  There  must  be  no  running  here 
for  tools,  there  for  harness,  yonder  for  vehicle, 
but  all  should  be  consecutive,  convenient,  and 
arranged  in  every  detail  with  that  idea.  Every- 
thing must  be  large  enough,  yet  not  too  big ; 
snug,  compact,  and  "  get-at-able." 

36 


STABLING   AND    STABLES 

Coach-houses  should  be  arranged  to  comfort- 
ably accommodate  the  number  and  sort  of  vehicles 
intended  to  be  kept  there,  allowing  room  to  move 
about  them  easily.  Not  a  few  such  buildings  are 
just  too  large  or  too  small,  —  too  big  for  three, 
too  small  for  four;  and  in  the  same  way  many 
washstands  are  built  too  short  and  narrow. 

Stone  or  brick  stables  need  plastering  or  sheath- 
ing to  guard  against  damp,  and  both  walls  and 
ceilings  must  be  covered  for  this  reason ;  in  our 
climate  nothing  equals  a  wooden  stable,  and  it  is 
always  drier,  cooler,  and  warmer  than  the  others, 
if  double- boarded,  sheathed,  and  clapboarded. 
Brick  or  cement  floors  may  answer  in  the  coach- 
house, where  there  is  generally  a  fire  in  winter, 
but  they  are  always  dangerous  as  likely  to  be 
slippery.  Horses  often  plunge  at  starting,  and 
they  fall  on  such  floors. 

The  coach-house  exposure  should  always  be 
southern  or  western,  as  insuring  ample  heat  from 
the  sun,  and  insuring  rapid  drying  of  vehicles  and 
linings. 

All  modern  forms  of  drainage  and  ventilation 
are  good,  if  they  are  attended  to  properly  by  the 
stablemen.  This  is  however  rarely  the  case,  and 
it  has  proved  in  practice  that  the  more  scientific 

37 


FIRST-HAND  BITS  OF  STABLE  LORE 

were  such  arrangements,  the  more  they  were  neg- 
lected by  the  men  in  charge.  No  traps,  drains, 
or  windows,  etc.,  will  keep  clean,  or  work  them- 
selves for  any  length  of  time,  and  as  this  is  so 
absolutely  true,  itv  has  always  seemed  the  height 
of  folly  to  expend  money  upon  elaborate  sys- 
tems which  would  forthwith,  through  neglect, 
be  reduced  to  absolute  or  comparative  ineffi- 
ciency. If  the  master  sees  for  himself  that  all 
such  details  are  properly  administered,  well  and 
good  —  but  he  never  does.  If  he  did,  the  same 
argument  would  hold  good,  for  then  the  most 
crude  arrangements  would  answer  perfectly.  So 
far  as  absolute  satisfaction  and  inexpensiveness 
goes,  the  writer  has  found  best  results  from  lead- 
ing all  stall  drains  into  a  receptacle  built  in  the 
floor,  and  containing  a  galvanized  iron  bucket  or 
tub  large  enough  to  hold  the  probable  fluids  of 
twenty-four  hours ;  that  is,  according  to  the  num- 
ber of  horses.  No  neglect  was  possible  for  this 
arrangement  since  it  simply  ran  over,  if  not  regu- 
larly and  daily  emptied,  either  into  a  sewer,  cess- 
pool, or  elsewhere  ;  and  its  operation  was  attended 
with  excellent  results,  while  the  cost,  as  com- 
pared to  the  usual  systems,  was  a  bagatelle.  If  this 
is  not  done,  then  the  washstand  and  harness-room 

38 


STABLING   AND    STABLES 

drains  should  be  arranged  to  flush  the  stall-gut- 
ters, for  carriages,  etc.,  must  be  washed,  and  the 
water  used  will  daily  effect  what  careless  grooms 
neglect.  All  details  about  stables  should  be  ar- 
ranged not  as  if  the  best  sort  of  help  was  to  be  in 
charge,  but  so  that  the  worst  cannot  do  harm. 

Stall  floors  are  best  made  of  cement,  laid  with 
the  proper  slope,  covered  with  plank  or  slats  so  ar- 
ranged as  to  afford  a  level  footing,  bevelled  to  re- 
quirements upon  the  under  side.  The  two  middle 
planks  —  or  the  four  middle  slats,  if  these  are 
used  —  should  be  movable,  either  by  hinges,  or 
may  be  left  loose.  They  can  thus  be  daily  swung 
up,  and  the  cement  beneath  disinfected  very  easily 
and  quickly.  All  moisture  falls  on  about  the 
middle  of  the  stall,  and  thence  it  easily  percolates 
to  the  gutter  at  the  heel-posts  ;  nor  is  there  any 
chance  for  the  accumulation  of  filth  as  in  the 
ordinary  stall.  Of  course  whether  planks  or 
slats  are  used,  the  ordinary  separations  between 
them  will  be  observed. 

This  arrangement  is  advised,  provided  earth 
floors  cannot  be  arranged,  than  which  nothing  is 
better,  cheaper,  or  more  easily  renewed.  Six  inches 
of  large  stone,  six  of  gravel  or  ashes,  and  four  to 
six  of  earth,  make  an  ideal  floor,  self-draining, 

39 


FIRST-HAND  BITS  OF  STABLE  LORE 

comfortable,  healthy,  and  natural  to  the  horse 
and  his  feet  and  eyes. 

All  hay  should  be  fed  from  the  floor,  and  no 
hay-racks  ever  provided.  The  feed-boxes  should 
be  movable,  whether  wood  or  iron,  that  they 
may  be  scoured  and  sunned  to  keep  them  sweet. 
A  place  should  be  provided  in  every  stall  to  set 
a  water-bucket. 

Stall  partitions  should  never  be  solid,  at  all 
events  near  the  floor.  This  construction  is  ab- 
solutely inappropriate  to  our  climate,  and  it  is 
marvellous  that  neither  owners,  stablemen,  nor 
builders  have  considered  this  most  essential  de- 
tail. If  any  of  them  would  spend  a  hot  summer's 
night  in  one  of  the  stalls  to  which  they  condemn 
their  horses,  they  would  know  the  reason.  An 
inch  or  two  between  planks  allows  air  to  circulate 
at  the  bottom  of  the  apartment,  and  to  carry  the 
foul  odors  up  and  away.  The  partitions  should 
always  be  of  open  work,  at  least  above  five  feet,  in 
order  that  horses  may  see  each  other,  be  sociable, 
eat  better,  and  do  better.  Imagine  the  solitary 
confinement  of  the  average  equine,  staring  at  a 
blank  wall,  another  behind  him,  and  one  on  each 
side! 

If  possible  the  apartment  for  horses  should 
40 


STABLING   AND   STABLES 

reach  clear  to  the  roof  of  the  building,  and  no 
loft  should  be  imposed ;  or  if  it  is,  the  men's 
rooms  should  never  be  over,  or  so  situated  that 
they  must  walk  over,  the  horses,  which  are  entitled 
to  undisturbed  rest.  If  anything  must  be  crowded 
and  skimped  for  room  and  air,  let  it  be  the  carriages 
and  the  human,  and  not  the  equine  occupants. 

Air,  air,  air ;  none  of  our  stables  get  half  enough. 
That  builder  would  do  well  who  would  leave  an 
aperture  of  a  few  inches  all  around  the  top  of  the 
horse  apartments,  which  could  not  be  caulked  by 
any  ingenuity  of  stablemen,  who  superheat  and  ill- 
ventilate  all  stables  in  order  that  they  may  them- 
selves be  kept  warm  and  enjoy  the  vitiated  air  to 
which  they  are  accustomed.  Even  direct  draught 
is  better  than  too  little  air.  Any  arrangement  for 
ventilation  is  good,  provided  there  is  just  twice 
as  much  of  it  as  the  owner  and  architect  have 
agreed  to  be  necessary.  A  lofty  stable  ventilates 
itself  somehow ;  a  low  one  is  never  really  well 
aired,  for  we  must  remember  that  for  ten  or 
twelve  hours  of  the  twenty-four  it  is  shut  tight. 
No  matter  how  you  get  air  —  only  get  lots  of  it. 

Light  should  never  come  from  directly  in  front 
or  directly  behind,  but  if  it  must,  the  glass  should 
be  white-  (or  rather  gray-)  washed.  More  defec- 


FIRST-HAND  BITS  OF  STABLE  LORE 

tive  vision  is  caused  by  badly  and  improperly 
lighted  stables  than  from  any  other  cause.  Lots 
of  light  means  plenty  of  windows,  and  numerous 
windows  insure  plenty  of  air,  if  only  by  way  of 
ill-fitting  casements.  Windows  hinged  at  the 
bottom  prevent  direct  draught. 

Hay  and  grain  should  be  stored  on  the  ground 
floor  if  possible,  and  if  upstairs,  over  carriages 
and  not  over  horses,  being  thrown  down  a  chute 
or  trap-door  at  one  end,  or  in  the  middle  of  the 
gangway,  and  thence  fed  out.  If  this  trap  has  no 
door  provided,  it  greatly  assists  the  matter  of 
ventilation. 

Watering  should  always  be  done  by  buckets. 
Troughs  get  filthy,  and  a  sick  horse  will  infect  a 
whole  stable  in  this  way.  These  drinking  buckets 
should  never,  under  any  pretext,  be  used  for  other 
purposes. 

Harness  rooms  need  good  light,  and  space 
enough  to  carry  things  in  and  out  without  knock- 
ing other  articles  off  their  hooks.  Hot  water  in 
quantity  should  always  be  obtainable,  and  the 
room  should  be  large  enough  to  allow  lounging 
space  for  the  men.  The  owner  will  find  it  to  his 
interest  to  make  this  room  attractive  to  the  men, 
unless  they  have  other  sitting  rooms  as  in  large 

42 


STABLING   AND    STABLES 

stables.  Half  the  problem  of  satisfactorily  hand- 
ling servants  is  solved  if  you  make  their  quarters 
attractive  enough  to  encourage  them  to  stay  at 
home  and  about  the  premises. 

There  is  no  reason  whatever  why  the  internal 
arrangement  of  any  stable  should  be  permanent, 
and  all  partitions  may  just  as  economically  be 
movable.  If  space  allows,  the  restricting  of  the 
building  to  one  story  will  prove  economical  in 
that  it  will  allow  very  light  framing. 

The  "  bail "  as  a  separation  between  horses 
presents  all  the  desirable  features  of  cheapness, 
simplicity,  airiness,  and  movability,  and  has  been 
used  regularly  by  the  writer  with  the  utmost  satis- 
faction. He  has  kept  many  hundreds,  —  yes, 
thousands,  —  of  horses,  utter  strangers  to  each 
other  generally,  and  sometimes  shod  with  sharp 
shoes,  in  these  arrangements,  and  has  yet  to 
record  the  first  accident.  These  "  bails  "  expe- 
dite stable  work  vastly  by  simplifying  the  labor 
of  bedding  down,  "  mucking  out,"  and  "  setting 
fair;"  they  may  be  instantly  removed  or  swung 
up  out  of  the  way,  and  no  horse  can  get  cast  in 
them.  A  "bail"  consists  simply  of  two  planks, 
or  boards  (one  will  answer  fairly  well),  tongued 
and  grooved  together,  and  stiffened  by  two  braces 

43 


FIRST-HAND  BITS  OF  STABLE  LORE 

on  each  end.  They  may  be  painted,  stained, 
brass-mounted,  or  straw-decorated,  and  are  sus- 
pended at  the  head  by  a  hook  fastening  into  a 
ring  in  the  wall,  and  at  the  heel  by  a  rope,  brass 
chain,  or  pipe-clayed  cord,  hanging  either  directly 
from  a  ring  in  the  ceiling,  or  running  through  a 
pulley  there  which  allows  hoisting  out  of  the  way, 
—  a  needless  provision,  since,  by  merely  unhook- 
ing it  "fore  and  aft,"  it  may  be  put  away  anywhere. 
Its  lower  side  is  about  eighteen  inches  from  the 
floor,  and  its  top  about  four  feet,  six  inches, 
from  the  same  point,  and  the  partitions  are 
hung  about  four  feet  apart,  —  although  horses 
do  well  in  even  three  feet,  six  inches  space,  so 
elastic  is  this  accommodation  from  its  freedom  to 
swing  aside.  A  kicker  will  abandon  his  attempts 
at  mischief  when  he  finds  that  his  efforts  produce 
no  other  effect  than  to  swing  the  obstacle  gently 
to  and  fro. 

The  animals  were  tethered  by  ropes  about 
eighteen  inches  long,  spliced  into  a  ring  running 
upon  a  "traveller"  which  runs  up  and  down  the 
wall  from  about  twenty  inches  above  the  ground 
surface,  to  about  four  feet,  six  inches  ;  the  free  end 
being  provided  with  a  hook  which  snaps  into  the 
head-stall  ring,  the  regular  halter-shank  (also  pro- 

44 


STABLING   AND    STABLES 

vided  with  a  strap)  being  detached  and  hung  over 
the  bail-heel  ready  for  use.  Thus  the  horse  can 
eat  and  lie  down  in  comfort,  but  can  neither  get 
cast  nor  assail  his  neighbor.  The  divisions  should 
not  be  too  wide,  or  the  occupants  may  stand  cross- 
wise of  them.  All  boxes  are  framed  on  the 
ground  surface,  and  about  eight  feet  above  it  by 
scantlings  which  pin  together ;  the  uprights  at 
the  corners  being  mortised  at  top  and  bottom, 
and  readily  slipping  into  place;  the  partitions 
(slatted  from  the  ground  up)  fitting  into  braces  in 
these  uprights  and  being  secured  by  hooks ;  the 
doors  hanging  on  pintles  fastened  in  the  proper 
uprights,  and  the  front  of  the  box  consisting 
wholly  of  two  doors  which  both  swing  open  and 
allow  easy  access  to  it.  Everything  is  light.  Two 
men  will  set  one  up  in  twenty  minutes,  while  so 
great  is  the  elasticity  that  no  horse  can  kick  or 
break  it  down.  The  writer  has  eighty-six  of  these 
boxes,  made  in  1894,  and  they  are  to-day  (1902)  all 
perfect,  although  they  have  been  put  up  and  taken 
down  dozens  of  times,  and  shipped  all  about  by 
freight  as  well — not  one  penny  having  as  yet 
been  spent  in  repairs  —  and  they  cost  complete, 
$5.00  each!  -Further  particulars,  specifications, 
etc.,  are  at  the  service  of  any  one  interested. 

45 


FIRST-HAND  BITS  OF  STABLE  LORE 

These  random  notes  have  nothing  of  the  scien- 
tific and  probably  less  of  the  interesting  to  them. 
The  writer  has  constructed  and  arranged  many 
stables,  some  to  hold  four  hundred  horses,  and 
has  always  followed  the  plans  outlined  here,  and 
always  with  success.  The  last  things  any  builder 
need  bother  himself  about  in  constructing  stables, 
are  drainage,  light,  and  air,  provided  he  will  cast 
science  to  the  winds  and  simply  provide  amply 
for  the  last  two  details  (and  then  double  his  allow- 
ance), and  arrange  the  first,  so  far  as  the  stable 
goes,  as  recommended  here.  Genuine  disinfec- 
tants are  too  cheap  and  plentiful  nowadays  to 
make  it  necessary  or  worth  while  to  scientifically 
arrange  drainage  which  is  sure  to  be  neglected. 


i 


Chapter    IV 

STABLE   MANAGEMENT 

question  of  economical  stable  man- 
agement is  a  matter  that  sooner  or 
later  comes  closely  home  to  both  the 
heart  and  the  pocket  of  the  amateur 
who  invests  in  horseflesh,  and  who  is,  as  a  rule, 
heavily  handicapped  by  the  fact  that  he  is  igno- 
rant of  proper  methods,  and  of  the  point  where 
wise  liberality  should  cease  and  true  economy 
begin.  Primarily,  difficulty  arises  from  the  fact 
that  the  first  economy  the  novice  practises  is 
almost  invariably  a  most  unwise  one.  This  is 
an  unwillingness  to  pay  first-class  men  first-class 
wages  ;  the  trying  to  make  a  born  "  hewer  of 
wood  and  drawer  of  water"  successfully  fill  the 
place  of  a  capable  servant ;  the  putting  of  a  man 
in  charge  of  a  stud  or  stable  whose  only  previous 
"  four-in-hand "  experience  has  been  gained  by 
looking  after  three  cows  and  a  horse  ;  the  in- 
trusting of  the  family  to  the  steerage  of  a  deck- 

47 


FIRST-HAND  BITS  OF  STABLE  LORE 

hand  whose  experience  not  improbably,  has  been 
acquired  upon  the  quarter-deck  of  a  dump-cart ; 
the  employment  of  a  groom  to  cc  do "  horses 
whose  most  energetic  efforts  are  directed  toward 
"  doing "  his  employer.  A  man  will  cheerfully 
expend  large  sums  in  the  purchase  of  expensive 
horses,  carriages,  and  harness,  lease  a  costly  stable, 
and  go  liberally  into  other  details,  but,  when  the 
matter  of  employing  servants  comes  up,  he  begins 
to  retrench,  and  not  improbably  winds  up  by 
engaging  some  incompetent,  who  has  no  real 
knowledge  of,  or  fitness  for,  his  business.  Forth- 
with, horses  go  lame  and  grow  thin,  paint  and 
varnish  tarnish,  harness  grows  shabby,  and  gene- 
ral family  complaint  and  dissatisfaction  brings  the 
whole  outfit  ultimately,  in  a  more  or  less  dilapida- 
ted condition,  to  the  auction  block,  and  to  the  loss 
side  of  the  ledger.  Better  far  a  first-class  man 
and  poor  horses,  etc.,  than  the  best  that  money 
can  buy  and  an  incompetent  in  charge.  The 
good  man,  who  is  liberally  paid,  has  his  em- 
ployer's interest  vitally  at  heart,  and  the  matter  of 
perquisites  will  receive  much  less  attention  from 
him  than  from  the  employee,  who,  knowing  his 
own  worth,  is  forced  by  circumstances  to  accept  a 
wage  which  is  not  really  a  fair  return  for  the 


STABLE    MANAGEMENT 

ability  he  possesses.  A  coachman  or  stud-groom 
should  receive  some  reward  for  the  economies  he 
practises ;  should  be,  in  a  way,  sharer  in  the 
results  of  any  retrenchment  which,  while  main- 
taining the  efficiency  of  the  service,  he  is  able  to 
effect. 

An  employer  may  well  say  to  such  a  man, "  I 
am  prepared  to  spend  so  much  per  month  per 
horse  for  feed,  so  much  for  repairs,  so  much  for 
fresh  horses,  etc.  Upon  any  diminution  of 
these  expenses  which  you  are  able  to  effect  still 
affording  me  the  first-class  service  I  require,  I 
am  ready  to  pay  you  a  certain  percentage " 
(twenty-five  per  cent  or  fifty  per  cent,  according 
to  circumstances).  "  If,  however,  your  manage- 
ment causes  this  outlay,  which  I  find  from  in- 
quiry is  reasonable,  to  be  exceeded,  you  must 
go."  If,  in  addition  to  this,  the  head  man  is 
always  allowed  to  engage  his  own  subordinates, 
which  promotes  harmony  and  general  efficiency, 
it  will  be  found  that  he  is  quite  certain  to  work 
with  an  eye  single  to  his  employer's  interests. 

Upon  the  invariably  usable  condition  of  one's 
horses  depends  the  satisfaction  in  keeping  them, 
and  many  of  our  current  stable  methods  are  cal- 
culated to   rejoice  the  heart  of  horse  dealer  and 
4  49 


FIRST-HAND  BITS  OF  STABLE  LORE 

veterinarian  alike.  We  have  adopted  wholesale, 
the  systems  prevalent  in  England  with  but  little 
inquiry  into  their  necessity  or  appropriateness 
to  this  country  and  climate,  and  have  accepted 
the  dictum  of  ignorant  and  non-practical  men 
without  comment  or  personal  experiment,  making 
our  animals  fit  the  treatment  instead  of  suiting 
the  methods  to  them.  It  is  really  astounding 
that  intelligent  and  wide-awake  men  will  gravely 
consult  an  employee  in  such  matters  and  be  ex- 
actly guided  by  his  opinion,  when  in  their  own 
business  affairs  they  neither  request  nor  accept 
the  advice  of  their  subordinates  —  men  frequently 
really  able  to  competently  advise.  If  John  says  a 
horse  needs  physic,  forthwith  he  gets  it ;  if  James 
—  who  does  n't  know  a  splint  from  a  spavin —  con- 
demns a  horse  as  unsound,  so  it  must  be  ;  if 
Charles  decides  that  the  horses  had  better  not 
go  out,  they  generally  stay  in.  One  does  not 
consult  the  cook  about  the  china,  or  the  maid 
about  the  linen  —  where  does  the  other  servant 
come  in  that  he  must  necessarily  be  an  authority  ? 
In  the  first  place  we  keep  our  horses  too  warm, 
stables  too  close,  and  use  clothing  too  heavy.  The 
race-horse  people  have  the  right  idea  about  this 
matter,  and  one  never  sees  more  healthy,  bloom- 
So 


STABLE   MANAGEMENT 

ing  coats  on  any  horses.  Their  charges  are  kept 
stripped  in  all  weathers,  and,  provided  a  horse  is 
thoroughly  cooled  out,  externally  and  internally, 
everything  is  left  open  on  him,  and  the  $30,000 
stake  horse  thrives  under  an  exposure  that  would 
put  most  of  our  coddled  harness-horses  in  the 
bone-yard  inside  of  twenty-four  hours.  A  horse 
well  fed  and  healthy  will  stand  a  vast  amount  of 
exposure,  and  will  be  all  the  better  for  it.  Blankets 
as  generally  used  are  a  delusion  and  a  snare.  "A 
full  grain-bin  is  the  best  body-brush,"  and  ex- 
periment will  prove  that  medicine-chest  and  doctor's 
bills  are  quite  unnecessary  if  the  horse  is  habitu- 
ated to  an  exposure  as  stimulating  as  it  is  sanitary, 
—  one  which  may  keep  a  stableman  moving  to 
keep  warm,  but  the  more  useful  perhaps  on  that 
account.  Open  up  the  stables,  pack  away  the 
blankets,  and  realize  that  a  horse  is  healthy  in 
proportion  as  he  approaches  his  natural  state,  and 
that  a  hard  working  horse,  as  our  cabbers  and 
other  general-purpose  animals  prove,  will  thrive 
under  an  amount  of  exposure  that,  according  to 
popular  belief,  ought  to  kill  him  off-hand. 

Our  accepted  idea  of  condition  in  carriage 
horses  is  wrong,  anyway,  and  our  eye  has  been 
accustomed,  by  the  over-fattened  condition  of 

51 


FIRST-HAND  BITS  OF  STABLE  LORE 

show  and  sale  horses,  to  accept  a  wholly  false  idea 
of  fitness  for  actual  use.  What  we  call  suitable 
"  condition  "  is  generally  secured  by  the  presence 
of  soft  and  useless  flesh,  clogging  to  the  vital  as 
hampering  to  the  external  parts,  and  ready  to 
produce  and  augment  a  feverish  condition  at  any 
slight  over-exertion,  or  sudden  change  of  temper- 
ature. Private  stablemen  do  not  know  how  to 
u  cool  out "  a  horse  properly,  or  if  they  do,  don't 
take  the  trouble.  External  coolness  is  not  enough 
for  safety.  Heart  and  circulation  must  be  regu- 
lar and  tranquil,  and  the  temperature  throughout 
normal,  before  the  animal  can  be  safely  put  away. 
This  insured,  one  can  disregard  open  windows, 
draughts,  and  anything  else. 

Odd  as  it  may  sound,  many  stablemen  overdo 
the  grooming  act,  and  beat  and  hammer  a  nervous 
horse  with  wisp  and  cloth  until  he  is  sore  all  over, 
and  ready  to  go  mad  if  you  rasp  a  brush  with  a 
currycomb.  This  slam-bang  business  is  all  wrong, 
and  will  not  do  for  the  modern,  thin-skinned,  ner- 
vous creature,  which  is  replacing  the  old  dung-hill 
that  would  enjoy  combing  over  with  a  garden 
rake.  Make  your  horse's  toilet  as  you  make 
your  own  :  plenty  of  water  and  plenty  of  fric- 
tion ;  but  as  you  carefully  dry  yourself,  so  dry 


STABLE    MANAGEMENT 

him,  not  by  brute  strength,  but  with  soft  towels 
or  rub-cloths  which  absorb  as  they  shampoo. 
When  a  horse  comes  in  wet,  tired,  and  dirty, 
don't  allow  him  to  be  dressed  and  hissed  at  for 
hours.  Would  you  like  to  come  in  from  a  long 
walk  and  be  fussed  around  for  an  hour  after  ? 
Scrape  him,  straighten  his  hair,  roll  thick  band- 
ages on  legs,  either  after  washing  or  over  the 
dirt ;  cover  him  up  warm  to  let  him  steam  out, 
and  leave  him.  When  dry,  simply  remove  band- 
ages, take  off  blankets,  and  let  alone  until  next 
morning.  Never  be  afraid  to  wash  a  horse,  legs, 
body  and  all ;  what  is  there  about  soap  and 
water  that  is  poison  to  him,  and  good  for  you  ? 
But  dry  him  thoroughly  from  ear  to  toe  as  you 
would  yourself,  and  never  fear  scratches,  colds, 
nor  other  ill-results. 

Oats,  hay  and  bran;  hay,  bran  and  oats;  the 
poor  equine  in  the  average  stable  hardly  knows 
the  taste  of  any  other  food ;  while  condiments  of 
all  sorts  are  regarded  with  holy  horror  by  the 
master,  and  used  secretly,  if  at  all,  by  the  man. 
Vary  the  food  daily  if  possible,  each  meal  if  you 
can.  There  are  lots  of  excellent  materials  which 
are  disregarded,  and  which  afford  a  most  whole- 
some change.  Slightly  damaged  grain  can  be 

53 


FIRST-HAND  BITS  OF  STABLE  LORE 

cheaply  procured,  cooked  or  steamed,  and  com- 
bined in  varying  quantities  and  flavors.  Stale 
bread  and  cake  can  often  be  bought  of  the  bakeries 
at  very  low  prices  per  barrel.  Numberless  food- 
stuffs are  perfectly  appropriate  for  equine  use ; 
sugar,  molasses,  salt,  etc.,  dissolved  and  sprinkled 
on  hay,  etc.,  will  insure  the  greedy  consumption 
of  even  the  poorer  qualities.  Don't  think  horses 
must  always  have  choicest  Timothy  hay,  best  oats", 
etc.,  for  other  grades  properly  treated  are  just  as 
appetizing,  wholesome,  and  nourishing.  You  've 
eaten  hash  yourself;  if  you  take  such  chances 
and  do  well,  why  not  your  animals  ? 

The  watering  question  is  another  "  bugaboo/' 
Why  cannot  a  horse  even  after  active  exertion, 
provided  heart  action  and  circulation  have  reached 
the  normal  point,  have  all  the  water  he  wants,  if 
its  temperature  is  nearly  that  of  the  body  ?  Of 
course  he  can.  Don't  you  drink  ice-water  your- 
self when  hot  ?  and  if  the  fool-killer  does  n't  get 
you  there  and  then,  what  harm  is  coming  to  him 
if  he  swallows  a  few  quarts  of  tepid  fluid  ?  If 
water  is  always  left  where  horses  can  get  at  it, 
they  will  never  over-indulge,  and,  somehow,  this 
should  always  be  arranged.  You  are  not  always 
thirsty  at  six,  twelve,  and  six  o'clock  yourself,  yet 

54 


STABLE    MANAGEMENT 

very  much  in  need  of  refreshment  at  odd  times, 
and  your  horse  has  the  same  desires.  In  fact,  if 
there  is  one  hour  in  the  day  when  an  animal 
really  needs  water  —  and  never  gets  it  —  it  is 
about  ten  o  'clock  at  night,  when  he  has  consumed 
and  digested  an  immense  amount  of  dry  prov- 
ender, and  when  nature  demands  that  he  flush 
his  system  copiously.  It  is  astonishing  what  a 
difference  attention  to  this  most  important  detail 
will  make  in  the  condition  of  horses.  Individual 
preference  must  be  carefully  considered  also. 
Many  are  night  feeders  and  will  only  eat  heartily 
at  that  time.  Many  shy  "doers"  require  their 
food  in  small  quantities  and  at  frequent  periods ; 
some  do  better  if  they  see  plainly  in  every  direc- 
tion and  enjoy  the  association  of  their  stable- 
mates;  other  misanthropes  prefer  seclusion.  If  a 
horse  is  a  bad  feeder  he  will  generally  drink  pretty 
well,  and  his  nourishment  may  be  given  him  in 
liquid  form.  No  animal  will  take  on  flesh  or 
hold  it  well  unless  he  is  a  good  and  deep  drinker, 
and  this  most  important  characteristic  of  the 
easily  fattened  steer  is  equally  essential  in  the 
horse. 

In    shoeing   we    have   vastly   improved   these 
latter  days,  and  all  honor  to  the  craft  which  so 

55 


FIRST-HAND  BITS  OF  STABLE  LORE 

speedily  recognized  and  accepted  modern  methods. 
Just  at  present  the  fad  runs  to  a  long  toe  in  front 
because  certain  show  horses  which  had  a  tendency 
to  "  mix  "  needed  such  balancing  to  square  them 
away,  and  to  attain  the  high  action  sought.  For 
use,  however,  such  methods  are  to  be  condemned, 
and  no  one  can  imagine  how  much  this  system 
has  to  do  with  the  premature  disablement  of 
numbers  of  our  fast  trotters  and  high-stepping 
horses.  Weight  in  heel  or  toe  according  to  need 
will  improve  a  horse's  high  stepping,  but,  for 
every-day  work,  an  ordinary  light  shoe  is  all  that 
should  be  used,  and  it  must  be  remembered  that 
the  heavy  shoes  are  never  kept  upon  show  horses 
for  more  than  a  few  days,  or  they  lose  all  their 
effect.  The  rubber  pads,  now  in  such  general 
use,  are  an  excellent  thing  and  almost  a  necessity, 
but  they  will  often  make  a  horse  go  sore  and 
short,  especially  those  with  naturally  weak  quarters 
and  heels,  while  some  few,  already  inclined  to  go 
"groggy,"  they  will  benefit  by  relieving  the  con- 
cussion. For  country  work,  tips  properly  applied 
(mind,  properly  applied)  all  round  are  as  good  a 
protection  as  can  be  used,  but  one  must  not 
expect  to  find  them  immediately  successful  upon 
an  animal  whose  feet  have  for  years  been  accus- 

56 


STABLE    MANAGEMENT 

tomed  to  protection,  any  more  than  one  can  com- 
fortably go  barefoot  until  Nature  has  adapted 
herself  to  the  change.  There  is  far  too  much 
stuffing  of  feet  and  smearing  them  with  oil  and 
blacking  externally.  A  wet  sponge  confined  in 
the  foot  by  a  bit  of  steel  or  a  stick  is  better  than 
any  packing,  which  a  wet  swab  tied  around  the 
coronets  will  assist;  while  for  dressing,  a  wipe 
with  a  damp  sponge  will  insure  a  better  appear- 
ance than  an  application  of  blacking,  which 
will  be  covered  with  dirt  before  your  equipage 
gets  around  to  the  front  door.  A  horse's  foot  is 
provided  with  pores  as  is  your  own,  and  if  these 
are  clogged  with  grease,  etc.,  local  health  cannot 
obtain  for  long. 

Pages  can  be  written  upon  the  most  unimpor- 
tant of  these  details,  and  it  is  only  possible  to 
touch  upon  a  very  few  of  them  within  the 
boundaries  allowed.  So  important  are  they 
to  the  enjoyable  and  profitable  use  of  horse- 
flesh that  the  amateur  will  be  well  repaid  if  he 
will  begin  to  experiment  for  himself,  and  to  real- 
ize how  exactly  the  hygiene,  accepted  as  sen- 
sible for  the  biped,  applies  to  the  needs  of  the 
quadruped. 

Taking  one  day  with  another,  and  averaging 

57 


FIRST-HAND  BITS  OF  STABLE  LORE 

the  periods  of  expensive  and  of  cheap  feed,  the 
cost  of  feeding  and  bedding  a  horse  will  reach 
about  twenty-five  cents  per  day,  if  the  best  of 
everything  is  bought;  if  lower  grades,  and  the 
various  materials  recommended  are  purchased, 
the  cost  may  well  run  down  to  fifteen  cents, 
though  this  would  hardly  be  possible,  without 
buying  at  wholesale.  Large  quantities  of  grain, 
etc.,  should  not  be  stored  for  too  long  a  time 
in  closed  bins,  or  it  will  heat,  and  be  damaged. 
Foods  are  best  (if  mixed)  prepared  not  over 
six  or  eight  hours  before  feeding  lest  they 
sour. 

About  twenty-five  minutes  will  suffice  if  the 
man  is  active,  and  has  everything  handily  ar- 
ranged, to  thoroughly  clean  any  horse,  and  there 
is  no  occasion  for  him  to  kill  time  over  the  job 
unnecessarily.  The  time  requisite  to  cooling  out, 
and  putting  away  after  work,  varies  with  the  ani- 
mal's condition  on  arrival.  The  ordinary  carriage, 
given  the  usual  accessories  of  hose,  ample  water 
supply,  etc.,  should  be  washed  in  the  same  time, 
a  buggy  or  runabout  in  about  fifteen  minutes. 
The  ordinary  single  harness  will  need  twenty 
minutes  of  attention,  aside  from  its  steels,  and 
metal  work,  which  will  require  time  in  comparison 

58 


STABLE   MANAGEMENT 

with  their  condition  and  amount.  All  necessaries 
in  the  way  of  sponges,  chamois,  "  compo," 
soap,  polish,  etc.,  should  be  bought  in  quantity, 
and  issued  as  needed,  as  such  economies  all 
count. 


59 


Chapter    V 

CONDITION   AND    CONDITIONING 

SATISFACTORY  working  condition,  that 
bodily  fulness  of  outline  which  not  im- 
properly may  also  be  associated  with  hard- 
ness of  flesh  and  fineness  of  muscle  is, 
given  ordinary  attention  to  the  usually  unconsidered 
trifles,  and  genuine  interest  in  the  welfare  of  one's 
dumb  beasts,  neither  difficult  to  attain,  nor  to 
maintain.  All  horses  in  work  should,  as  denoted 
by  coat  and  countenance,  be  constantly  in  the 
bloom  of  health,  and  as  evidenced  by  action  and 
appetite  in  the  flush  of  vigor ;  nor  is  there  any 
excuse,  in  private  stables  at  least,  for  their  exhib- 
iting other  appearance.  Be  your  man  ever  so 
highly  recommended,  or  ever  so  affectionately 
regarded  by  yourself  and  family,  any  appearance 
of  dulness  of  courage  or  roughness  of  coats 
among  his  charges  is  proof  positive  that  he  does 
not  know  his  business,  and,  if  he  is  allowed  full 
swing  in  stable  management,  no  excuses  should 

60 


CONDITION   AND    CONDITIONING 

be  accepted ;  if  he  is  not,  and  you  look  after 
tKings  yourself,  better  far,  for  your  own  credit,  to 
resign  in  his  favor,  or  to  find  some  one  able  to 
supplant  you  both,  for  the  ability  of  the  horse  is 
largely  dependable  upon  his  treatment,  and  he, 
at  least,  will  of  a  certainty  "  do  as  he  is  done  by/' 

Given  a  hearty  feeder  and  one  who  is  regularly 
worked  and  exercised,  his  care  resolves  itself 
chiefly  into  the  matter  of  feeding  and  grooming ; 
but  there  is  a  vast  army  of  the  other  kinds, 
excellent  in  all  respects,  but  wanting  in  little 
details,  that  nursing  and  coddling  over,  which,  to 
the  detriment  of  their  appearance  and  of  their 
reputation,  they  seldom  get. 

The  average  horse  is  not  fed  or  watered  often 
enough,  early  enough,  or  late  enough.  With  his 
small  stomach  and  voluminous  intestinal  arrange- 
ment little  and  often  is  the  necessary  and  whole- 
some rule,  and  the  long  hours  of  the  winter's 
night  are  made  doubly  irksome  by  the  fact  that 
after  a  certain  period  the  poor  animal  is  both 
hungry  and  thirsty  ;  nor  will  the  provision  of  a 
large  feed  of  hay  and  grain  obviate  the  trouble, 
because  his  own  breath  and  the  usual  stable 
excretions  render  the  provender  unpalatable  long 
before  appetite  has  prompted  its  consumption, 

61 


FIRST-HAND  BITS  OF  STABLE  LORE 

while  the  greedy  feeder  will  gorge  himself  with  a 
mass  which  his  digestive  apparatus  is  wholly  un- 
able to  handle.  The  man  who  will  invent  an 
automatic  feeder  that  shall  expose  extra  feeds  at 
certain  hours  will  meet  a  vital  want ;  but,  failing 
this,  the  man  who  feeds  at  say  six  and  ten  in  the 
morning,  and  two,  six  and  ten  in  the  afternoon, 
the  usual  daily  amounts,  subdivided  to  meet  the 
occasions,  will  find  his  sure  reward  in  the  im- 
mediately bettered  condition  of  his  horses,  and 
in  the  fact  that  they  are  ready,  at  any  time,  to 
use.  Especially  must  the  thin  animal  have  his 
meals  often ;  in  concentrated  form,  and  small  in 
quantity.  No  satisfactory  progress  can  be  expected 
if  allowance  is  not  made  for  the  weakened  con- 
dition of  the  subject's  digestive  apparatus,  which 
is  the  prime  cause  of  his  failure  to  do  well. 

Exercise  of  course  has  its  necessary  place  in  the 
attainment  of  satisfactory  condition,  and  herein 
we  all  err  on  the  side  of  insufficiency.  Not  one 
horse  in  twenty  in  private  stables  is  used  enough 
to  keep  him  really  healthy.  If  the  pair  go  down 
town  on  a  shopping  tour  they  must  do  no  more 
that  day  ;  if  our  saddle  horses  get  an  hour  in  the 
park  or  riding  school  every  day  they  are  in  luck. 
Any  horse  in  work,  can  do  and  should  do  his  ten 

62 


CONDITION   AND   CONDITIONING 

miles  a  day,  and  that  at  a  smart  pace,  not  jogging 
along  at  huckster's  trot,  but  reading  fast  and 
promptly. 

So  far  as  stable  management  goes,  its  depart- 
ments of  menu  and  massage  are  of  first  impor- 
tance. To  simply  gallop  a  race  horse  is  by  no 
means  to  train  him.  As  one  taciturn  yet  won- 
derfully successful  trainer  replied  to  the  question 
as  to  where  he  worked  his  horses,  "In  my 
stable/*  And  that  is  three-fourths  of  the  whole 
matter.  As  to  ventilation  there  cannot  be  too 
much,  draughts  being  prevented  as  much  as  pos- 
sible ;  nor  should  there  ever  be  noticeable  the 
slightest  trace  of  ammonia.  Disinfectants  that 
really  disinfect — not  simply  cause  one  stench  in 
order  to  smother  another  —  are  too  plentiful  to 
allow  for  any  such  evidence  of  neglect,  whether 
the  stable  shelters  one  horse  or  one  thousand ; 
and  air  may  be  plentiful,  yet  foul,  or  limited,  yet 
fresh.  Get  all  the  ozone  you  can  manage,  and 
then  try  your  best  to  get  a  little  more. 

As  we  carefully  cleanse  the  lungs  by  proper 
ventilation,  so  we  must  attend  to  the  "  external 
breathing  apparatus,"  so  to  speak  —  the  pores  of 
the  skin  —  by  regular  and  thorough  grooming, 
by  frequent  washing,  and  by  clipping  the  hair,  if 

63 


FIRST-HAND  BITS  OF  STABLE  LORE 

the  animal  is  to  work  in  winter,  and  is  heavy 
coated.  That  washing  should  be  advised  is  con- 
trary to  general  practise,  but  that  has  no  bearing 
on  its  practical  advantage.  A  cold  bath  and 
shower,  followed  by  a  quick  scrape  and  rub-out 
(alcohol  shampoo  to  follow,  if  desired),  is  as  in- 
vigorating to  your  horse  as  to  yourself,  and  just 
as  healthful.  Moreover,  the  recipient  is  left 
absolutely  clean,  as  he  should  always  be  and 
seldom  is.  There  need  be,  and  should  be,  no 
more  "  horsey "  smell  to  your  steed  and  his 
clothing  than  to  yourself.  Clean  clothing  is  a 
luxury  to  him  as  to  you,  and  you  had  far  better 
be  untidy  than  to  have  him  appear  so.  A  lazy 
groom  can  so  smear  a  horse  over  with  damp 
sponge  and  rub-cloth  that  he  shall  look  fairly 
well  to  the  eye  ;  but  if  you  know  that  he  receives 
a  bath  daily,  or  thrice  weekly,  he  will  come  very 
near  being  sweet  and  savory  all  the  time. 

If  the  lungs  and  skin  are  regularly  well  cleansed 
the  highroad  to  health  will  be  in  sight,  and  it  but 
remains  to  see  that  the  digestive  organs  are 
properly  nourished  and  regularly  flushed  to  at- 
tain the  goal  of  perfect  physical  condition.  So 
far  as  nutriment  goes,  hay  is,  of  course,  the  staple, 
and  furnishes  in  addition  the  bulk  which  is  needed 


CONDITION   AND    CONDITIONING 

in  the  stomach  to  insure  perfect  digestion.  The 
popular  demand  is  all  for  a  coarse  and  clear  Tim- 
othy hay,  woody  in  fibre,  and  not  freely  digest- 
ible ;  but  why  this  should  be  the  case,  at  least  for 
general  purposes,  will  ever  remain  a  mystery.  Of 
course,  horses  in  fast  work  and  highly  grain-fed 
get  but  little  hay  (although  the  more  advanced 
trainers  have  modified  this) ;  but  the  average 
beast  may  have  all  he  wants,  and  the  finer  grasses 
(and  clovers)  early  cut  and  nicely  cured  are 
cheap,  wholesome,  preferable,  and  rarely  used. 
One  hears  much  of  the  celebrated  cc  blue  grass  " 
of  Kentucky,  but  finds  it  simply  the  "June 
grass"  of  all  northern  localities;  while  the  stock- 
barns  of  that  State,  thoroughbred  and  trotting  estab- 
lishments alike,  are  filled  solid  to  the  roofs  with 
clover  hay,  and  that  is  what  grows  and  nourishes 
every  celebrated  race-horse  that  upholds  the  fame 
of  the  "  blue-grass  region."  Such  fodder  may  be 
a  little  dusty,  but  it  is  easily  sprinkled,  and  no 
horse  keeper  need  fear  to  outrage  tradition  and 
feed  the  finer  grades  of  this  material  with  great 
economy  and  much  satisfaction.  Oats,  as  the 
staff  of  equine  life,  should  form  the  basis  of  the 
general  ration.  But  corn-on-the-ear,  no  other 
way,  is  a  most  satisfactory  adjunct  for  eight 

5  65 


FIRST-HAND  BITS  OF  STABLE  LORE 

months  in  the  year,  and  a  breakfast  of  ten  to 
fifteen  ears  of  a  cold  morning  is  as  grateful  as 
you  find  a  Yarmouth  bloater  now  and  then. 
There  is  a  strong  prejudice  against  corn,  but 
it  is  a  mistaken  objection,  provided  ear-corn, 
rather  than  the  shelled  or  the  cracked,  be  gener- 
ally fed.  Bran  in  its  various  grades,  according  to 
the  animal's  characteristics,  is  a  most  useful  and 
generally  cheap  food,  and  mixed  with  cheap  oats 
and  cooked  (by  pouring  on  boiling  water,  and 
covering  for  a  few  hours)  may  well  be  used 
for  feeding  as  a  warm  evening  meal,  well  salted, 
on,  say,  Saturday  nights.  All  the  other  grains 
may  be  usefully  and  profitably  fed  in  the  same 
way  as  well  as  brewers'  grains,  stale  bread,  etc., 
experiment  determining  the  needs  of  the  indi- 
vidual. Cut  feed  is  an  excellent  provender  in 
theory,  and  in  practice  if  carefully  managed,  but 
its  steady  use  has  caused  many  a  death,  and  made 
many  a  hopeless  dyspeptic.  The  difficulty  is  to 
keep  the  stomach  sweet,  especially  with  greedy 
feeders,  who  will  bolt  their  provender.  To  use  it 
safely  a  mixture  of  equal  parts  of  powdered  ginger, 
gentian,  and  bi-carbonate  of  soda  should  be  kept, 
and  a  tablespoonful  mixed  with  at  least  one  feed 
daily.  Flaxseed  jelly,  made  by  pouring  boiling 

66 


CONDITION   AND    CONDITIONING 

water  on  the  whole  seed  and  letting  it  "jell,"  is  a 
most  valuable  feeding  adjunct,  and  as  wholesome 
as  it  is  appetizing.  A  half-pint  at  a  feed  will 
work  wonders  in  a  horse's  appearance,  or  it  may 
be  given  as  a  drink,  or  as  a  drench.  Linseed 
meal  has,  under  modern  processes,  little  feeding 
value,  as  all  the  oil  is  extracted  by  pressure  and 
by  chemicals. 

While  the  hearty  and  hardy  equine  is  the  most 
eagerly  sought  and  most  easily  cared  for,  there 
are  numbers  of  high-strung,  nervous  and  "  crotch- 
ety "  individuals,  who,  properly  handled,  will  out- 
work and  out-last  their  more  phlegmatic  confreres. 
For  these  certain  methods  must  be  tried,  and 
various  means  applied  to  soothe  the  nervous 
temper,  coax  and  stimulate  the  generally  wayward 
appetite.  A  real  "shy  doer "  is  a  fascinating 
study,  just  as  is  a  brilliant  cripple.  "  If  I  can 
only  get  him  right,  he  's  a  wonder,"  we  have  all 
soliloquized  many  a  time !  Your  shy  feeders 
will  always  drink  if  they  won't  eat,  or  they  can 
be  made  to  drink,  thus  disproving  the  adage  that 
the  "  devil  may  lead  a  horse  to  water,  but  he 
cannot  make  him  drink."  You  can  drench  him 
with  the  essence  of  say  eight  pounds  of  hay  three 
times  a  day,  with  the  addition  of  a  half-pint  of 


FIRST-HAND  BITS  OF  STABLE  LORE 

flaxseed  jelly  each  time  (that  is,  if  he  won't 
drink  it,  which  he  generally  will).  Skim  milk 
can  be  bought  very  cheap,  and  with  flaxseed 
(or  with  that  and  "hay  tea")  affords  excellent 
nourishment.  Molasses  also,  the  old-time  black 
kind,  is  a  grand  appetizer ;  may  be  diluted  and 
sprinkled  on  hay,  etc.,  or  fed  clear,  and  a  pair  of 
very  old  horses  were,  to  the  writer's  knowledge, 
kept  for  a  long  time  on  clear  molasses,  and  a  little 
hay,  which  they  mumbled  over  and  rejected  after 
extracting  the  juice.  Apples,  carrots,  etc.,  all 
kinds  of  flavoring  materials,  may  be  cheaply  pro- 
cured and  appropriately  used,  so  that  there  is  no 
excuse  for  any  man  to  say  that  he  cannot  keep 
his  animal  in  condition,  unless  his  horse  has 
some  grave  physical  ailment. 

Physic  —  purgative  —  is  rarely  or  never  needed, 
especially  if  the  subject  is  well  salted,  either  in  his 
Saturday  night  feed,  or  by  the  provision  of  Glau- 
ber salts,  or  rock-salt,  at  frequent  intervals,  and  by 
the  weekly  provision  of  a  grass-sod  (if  obtainable), 
roots,  dirt,  and  all.  Very  rarely  the  kidneys  need 
slight  stimulation,  and  occasionally  the  liver  gets 
sluggish,  but  if  so,  the  veterinary  had  better  be 
consulted  than  to  tinker  with  your  horse's  inter- 
nals as  your  own  theories  or  your  man's  fancies 

68 


CONDITION   AND    CONDITIONING 

suggest.  You  take  your  $5  Waterbury  to  the 
watchmaker's  for  cleansing  and  oiling,  —  do  be 
equally  respectful  to  your  $500  equine's  main- 
spring. "  Carron  oil  "  —  linseed  oil  and  lime- 
water —  may  be  given  (from  a  pint  to  a  quart) 
occasionally,  and  can  do  no  harm,  provided  the 
recipient  is  laid  by  for  a  day. 

Now  we  come  to  a  matter  that  is  usually  re- 
garded with  horror  and  distrust,  —  the  use  of 
arsenic.  This  drug,  properly  used,  is  nothing  in 
the  world  but  a  strong  tonic,  and,  like  all  such 
powerful  agents,  its  use  must  be  gradually  be- 
gun, briefly  continued,  and  gradually  abandoned. 
"  Fowler's  solution  "  is  a  very  valuable  medicine, 
and  in  capable  hands  works  excellent  results,  stimu- 
lates faltering  appetite,  and  generally  tones  up  the 
system.  Quinine,  another  powerful  tonic,  is  also 
wonderfully  helpful  with  hard-working  horses, 
and  with  some  it  seems  to  be  as  useful  as  the 
dangerous  and  distrusted  arsenic.  There  are 
more  horses  (which  do  not  seem  to  do  well)  suf- 
fering from  genuine  malaria  than  would  be  be- 
lieved, and  especially  in  the  spring  is  this  drug  a 
most  valuable  agent  to  the  maintaining  of  health, 
appetite,  and  courage.  Do  not  for  a  moment 
imagine  that  the  writer  is  an  advocate  of  the  use  of 


FIRST-HAND  BITS  OF  STABLE  LORE 

stimulants,  medicines,  etc.,  for  general  and  regular 
use,  for  that  is  not  the  case ;  but  there  are  not  a  few 
useful  and  appropriate  methods  and  medicaments 
which  we  are  prone  to  condemn  wholesale  because 
we  have  seen  them  abused  and  not  used. 

The  water  and  drinking  vessels  must  be  of  the 
purest.  Can  you  expect  a  sensitive  creature  to 
relish  drinking  from  the  pail  which  has  just  held 
soap,  and  is  contaminated  with  the  other  stable 
uses  to  which  it  may  be  put  ?  or  to  be  other  than 
nauseated  when  the  same  sponge  is  used  to  wash 
his  mouth,  his  legs,  and  his  feet?  And  can  the 
creature  relish  a  mash  mixed  by  hands  uncleaned 
from  the  filth  of  stable  labor  ?  Or  does  a  sour 
manger  under  his  nose  all  day,  a  steaming  hay- 
rack beside  that,  and  a  reeking  straw-bed  under 
him,  sound  like  a  combination  likely  to  create  a 
thirst  to  be  acceptably  assuaged  only  from  a 
bucket  about  which  clings  the  filth  of  months  ? 
No  wonder  we  have  some  light  feeders ! 

Horses  should  have  their  hay  on  the  ground 
in  front  of  them.  They  may  waste  some,  but  it 
is  generally  only  that  which  has  become  distaste- 
ful to  them,  anyway,  by  being  breathed  upon. 
Besides,  hay  nowadays  is  as  cheap  as  rye-straw, 
and  no  more  expensive  if  used  as  bedding.  Feed- 

70 


CONDITION   AND    CONDITIONING 

boxes  should  "  take  out,"  and  what  is  more,  they 
should  be  taken  out  after  each  meal,  washed  and 
sunned  if  possible.  If  a  certain  time  is  allowed 
for  the  consumption  of  grain,  horses  will  learn  it, 
the  light  feeders  eat  as  much  or  more,  and  not  be 
disgusted  with  a  balance  steaming  under  their 
noses. 

On  days  that  no  work  is  to  be  done,  the  feed- 
ing must  be  regulated  accordingly  ;  and  if  any  acci- 
dent, etc.,  is  likely  to  prevent  outdoor  work  for  an 
extended  period,  a  mild  dose  of  physic  may  be 
given  at  once  to  advantage,  which,  with  rather 
laxative  food,  will  prevent  any  tendency  to 
feverish  symptoms  from  its  sudden  and  abso- 
lute cessation. 

There  are  so  many  dozens  of  little  details  which 
bear  directly  upon  this  most  important  matter 
that  one  hardly  knows  how  to  stop  or  where  to 
begin.  Various  rarely  considered  details,  such  as 
the  condemnation  of  many  horses  as  subjects  to 
fits,  which  suffer  from  nothing  but  disordered 
liver  and  digestion  generally;  the  value  of  bleed- 
ing in  certain  cases,  where  a  horse  is  nervous,  shy 
feeding,  and  generally  upset ;  the  treatment  of  feet 
and  legs  with  relation  to  maintenance  of  health,  — 
these  and  dozens  of  other  matters  must  be  left 


FIRST-HAND  BITS  OF  STABLE  LORE 

untouched.  The  "  condition  "  herein  referred 
to  means  that  of  the  carriage,  the  hunter,  the 
saddle,  and  the  general-purpose  horse ;  with  the 
race-horse  and  the  trotter  we  have  nothing  to 
do  as  yet. 


72 


Chapter    VI 


THE  "GREEN"  OR  UNACCLIMATED   HORSE 
AND   HIS   CARE 

IT  comes  to  the  ill  fortune  of  most  of  us,  at 
some  period  of  our  horse-keeping  experi- 
ence, to  purchase,  and  be  obliged  to  care 
for,  a  horse  fresh  from  the  country — west 
or  east,  north  or  south  —  to  watch  for  and  tend 
him  in  his  acclimation  sickness,  which  is  certain 
sooner  or  later,  with  varying  degree  of  severity, 
to  overtake  him,  and  to  subsequently  congratulate 
ourselves  upon   his  recovery,  or   to  mourn  his 
untimely  demise. 

The  trouble  which  we  thus  call  "  acclimation 
fever  "  is  rarely  other  than  a  more  or  less  severe 
attack  of  influenza,  brought  on  by  the  transfer 
from  airy  country  barns,  or  pastures,  to  hot  and 
ill-ventilated  dealers' — or  private  —  stables  in 
town  or  city.  In  the  former  case  the  animal  is 
not  improbably  dosed  with  drugs  to  resist  the 
approach  of  the  disease,  and  when  removed  to  the 

73 


FIRST-HAND  BITS  OF  STABLE  LORE 

private  stable  his  condition  is  the  more  liable  to 
make  him  not  only  ill,  but  seriously  so.  As  the 
Esquimaux  succumb  to  the  conditions  of  civiliza- 
tion, as  you  yourself,  after  weeks  spent  in  camp- 
ing out  and  exposure  of  all  sorts,  immediately 
become  ill  with  a  cold  on  taking  up  your  usual 
habits  of  indoor  life,  so  is  your  horse  upset  by 
changed  air,  food,  water,  and  surroundings,  while 
probably  the  mental  depression  and  despondency 
caused  by  his  homesickness  for  familiar  scenes 
play  their  important  part  in  reaching  this  result. 

Horses  are  poor  patients,  possess  but  feeble 
resistive  powers,  and  the  gamest  and  most  sturdy 
succumb  to  apparently  trifling  ailments,  which 
would  never  seriously  affect  a  human  being  —  the 
truth  being  that  not  only  have  they  often  a  " faint" 
heart,  but  also  a  really  weak  heart,  and  one 
sometimes  failing  totally  in  most  extraordinary 
fashion.  True  it  may  be,  that  such  cases  have 
"kept  up"  bravely  until  nature  was  exhausted, 
and  after  their  disease  had  advanced  further  than 
was  appreciated  —  though  this  is  hardly  likely. 

Physicians  find  great  difficulty  in  diagnosing 
cases  of  the  human  subject  where  questions  may 
be  answered  and  symptoms  explained.  How 
much  more  arduous  to  successfully  locate  and 

74 


THE   "GREEN"    HORSE 

combat  illness  in  an  animal  which  can  do  neither, 
nor  call  attention  to  other  complications  which 
may  exist !  In  equine  pathology  all  treatment 
must  be  speculative,  and  one  can  but  try  and  try 
again.  Certain  evidences  insure  the  presence 
of  special  troubles,  but  the  serious  ailment  may 
totally  escape  notice,  as  in  the  cases  mentioned 
of  apparently  weak  heart.  Privation  and  fatigue, 
the  horse's  limitations,  insure  that  he  shall  but 
feebly  resist. 

Nature  is  the  best  veterinary,  and  her  indicated 
treatment  of  rest,  and  light  feeding  will  result 
favorably  five  times  out  of  six,  and  her  repairs, 
slowly  made,  are  the  more  enduring  for  that 
reason. 

Sooner  or  later,  then,  you  find  your  "green" 
horse  running  at  the  nose,  and  possibly  the  eyes, 
refusing  his  feed  and  probably  coughing  and 
sneezing  a  little.  If  you  can,  forthwith  stop  his 
grain  ;  feed  him  only  a  little  hay  (or  a  mash, 
if  his  throat  is  sore,  as  probable),  never  more  than 
he  will  eat  clean  in  thirty  minutes  or  so,  and  all 
remnants  cleared  away  at  once ;  all  the  water  he 
will  drink,  with  a  dose  (at  once)  of  powdered  nitre, 
or  one  ounce  saltpetre  in  it  to  keep  his  kidneys 
active;  clothe  him  warmly,  bandaging  his  extrem- 

75 


FIRST-HAND  BITS  OF  STABLE  LORE 

ities  well,  and  insure  fresh  air,  but  no  draught ; 
then,  leaving  him  alone  until  he  gets  better,  it 
will  generally  be  but  a  few  days  before  he  is  all 
right  again ;  nor,  beyond  a  simple  febrifuge,  and 
a  liniment  for  the  sore  throat,  could  the  most 
skilled  veterinarian  do  anything  further.  It  is, 
of  course,  best  to  send  for  him  when  available  (as 
he  nearly  always  is)  but  this  is  written  for  those 
who  may  not  care  to  go  to  that  expense. 

Rigid  cleanliness  must  be  enforced,  and  the 
nose,  eyes,  etc.,  as  well  as  the  surrounding  wood- 
work, gently  sponged  and  cleaned  with  tepid 
water,  for  a  sick  horse  is  generally  rather  nasty. 

The  head  may  be  steamed  if  there  is  much 
accumulation  of  mucus,  and  if  the  throat  is  very 
sore,  but  if  this  is  done  (hot  water  and  vinegar  is 
as  good  as  anything)  the  head  and  neck  must  be 
carefully  dried,  and  protected  by  a  hood,  or  harm 
may  ensue. 

A  thermometer  is  useful  if  understood,  but  is 
dangerous  in  the  hands  of  an  amateur,  for  the 
reason  that  he  will  always  be  "  panicky"  if  he 
uses  it.  A  horse's  temperature  constantly  varies, 
and  the  odd  degree  or  two  of  change  from  normal, 
which  may  seem  to  presage  fever,  has  very  prob- 
ably no  significance.  One  should  experiment 


THE   "GREEN"    HORSE 

with  healthy  animals  by  placing  the  fingers  on 
the  bars  of  the  mouth  under  the  tongue,  for 
fever  is  quickly  detected  here,  the  temperature 
being  about  ninety-eight  degrees  in  health.  The 
pulse  is  below  the  jaw  and  runs  about  forty  de- 
grees in  health,  and  it  is  then  pliant  and  full, 
not  hard  and  wiry.  The  following  will  be  found 
excellent  to  relieve  the  cough,  etc.: 

Extract  of  Belladonna i^  ounce 

Powdered  Opium 2   drachms 

Powdered  Camphor 3    drachms 

Powdered  Liquorice 2  ounces 

Molasses yz  pint. 

Mix ;   smear  tablespoonful  on  tongue  three  or  four  times  daily. 

The  throat  may  be  smeared  —  not  rubbed,  or 
it  will  blister  —  with 

Lard         I  pound 

Turpentine I  pint 

Melt  lard  and  mix  turpentine. 

When  the  "  pink  eye/'  as  it  is  called  from  the 
tendency  of  the  eyes  to  close  and  be  weak  (needing 
a  darkish  stable  when  this  occurs),  has  passed  its 
worst,  there  is  often  a  dropsical  tendency  of  the 
legs  ensuing,  or  remaining,  which  may  hugely 
swell  them,  giving  them  the  appearance  of  having 

77 


FIRST-HAND  BITS  OF  STABLE  LORE 

been  tied  with  strings.     This  will  help  toward 
cure : 

Iodide  of  Potassium I  ounce 

Carbonate  of  Ammonia I  ounce 

Powdered  Gentian I  ounce 

Eight  balls  (or  drench  if  throat  is  still  sore) ;  two  each  day 
for  four  days. 

Soft  food  is  indicated,  but  very  little  of  any- 
thing will  be  eaten.  If  weakness  continues,  the 
strength  may  be  maintained,  and  heart  stimulated, 
by  doses  of  whiskey  and  quinine  at  frequent  inter- 
vals ;  or  this  treatment  may  begin  at  the  first  indi- 
cation of  disease. 

Soft  and  easily  digested  food  should  be  the 
rule  for  some  weeks  after  recovery,  for  a  latent 
weakness  —  a  sort  of  low  fever  —  remains  and 
any  over-exertion  may  cause  a  relapse.  Exercise 
must  gradually  increase. 

Of  course  few  or  none  of  these  occurrences  may 
result.  The  horse  may  escape  with  a  trifling 
dulness  for  a  few  days  that  will  hardly  be  notice- 
able, and  not  even  affect  his  ability  for  light  work. 

If  this  fresh  or  <c  green  "  horse  is  put  directly 
to  gentle,  steady  work,  whereby  he  gets  regularly 
into  the  open  air ;  if  he  is  neither  over-heated,  nor 
allowed  to  chill  when  warm  ;  if  kidneys  and  bowels 

78 


THE   "GREEN "    HORSE 

are  kept  active,  that  feverish  tendencies  may  be 
corrected  ;  if,  in  short,  he  is  used  just  like  any 
other  horse,  only  not  quite  so  hard,  he  will  have 
little  trouble,  as  proved  by  the  thousands  of 
express,  car,  and  cab  horses,  which  are  always  put 
at  work,  and,  keeping  on,  are  rarely  sick. 

We  kill  more  horses  by  mistaken  kindness 
than  we  do  by  abuse.  Your  "  green  "  horse  tells 
you  (or  your  man)  that  he  feels  "  dumpish/'  by 
refusing  his  feed,  or  not  eating  up  as  he  should. 
Forthwith  your  energies  are  directed  to  tempting 
him  to  eat  not  only  as  much  as  usual,  but  even 
more,  and  his  slightly  feverish  system  is  loaded  up 
with  all  sorts  of  stimulating  stuff.  As  he  seems 
not  quite  himself,  you  decide  he  is  best  in  the 
stable  for  a  few  days,  and  there  he  stops,  to  eat, 
to  grow  very  ill,  and  possibly  to  die,  a  victim  to 
your  inexcusable  ignorance,  for  it  is  that.  You 
have  no  business  to  own  him  if  you  will  not 
spare  a  few  hours  to  inform  yourself  by  reading 
or  by  questions  as  to  his  care  and  needs. 

Had  you  been  advised  by  him,  and  kept  the 
food  away  until  he  asked  for  it,  or  even  had  you 
used  him  and  got  him  into  the  air,  the  chances 
are  that  three  or  four  days  would  have  seen  him 
all  right  again.  Use  him,  therefore,  even  if  his 

79 


FIRST-HAND  BITS  OF  STABLE  LORE 

soft  flesh  shrinks ;  he  will  take  no  harm,  and 
quickly  build  up  again ;  nor  spare  him  just 
because  he  is  "  the  new  horse,"  and  therefore  to 
be  treated  with  the  care  accorded  new  furniture 
or  china.  You  bought  him  to  work,  and  that  it 
is  which  insures  his  health  and  welfare. 

Remember  that  your  country  horse  will  prob- 
ably suffer  from  homesickness,  and  try  to  alleviate 
this  by  insuring  him  equine  companionship,  by 
little  attentions  and  delicacies,  etc.  As  you  would, 
in  similar  circumstances,  brood  over  your  condi- 
tion if  left  in  solitary  confinement,  so  will  he  ;  as 
your  depression  would  be  increased  by  over-feed- 
ing and  lack  of  exercise,  so  is  his  ;  as  wholesome 
fatigue  insures  the  kindly  oblivion  to  you  of  sleep, 
so  it  will  to  him.  Therefore,  use  him  daily, 
cherish  him  thoughtfully,  treat  him  rationally, 
and  never  fear  the  "  bugaboo  "  of  the  fatalities 
attending  the  acclimatizing  of  the  "  green  "  coun- 
try horse. 


80 


Chapter  VII 

THE   HORSE'S   EDUCATION 


i 


can  be  no  such  thing  as  a  part- 
nership arrangement  in  the  handling  of 
any  dumb  beasts,  and  he  who  thinks 
that  this  is  exaggerated,  and  that 
he  and  his  horse  are  animated  by  a  single  purpose, 
is  laying  up  stores  of  trouble  that  will  surely  lead 
him  to  ultimate  disaster.  The  fables  of  the  Arab 
and  his  steed,  and  the  verse  or  prose  of  various 
writers  who  were  composing  for  "  the  gallery  "  of 
the  general  public,  make  interesting  reading ;  but 
beware  how  you  reduce  these  lovely  theories  to 
practice.  Any  idea  that  your  horse  really  knows 
you  from  any  one  else,  or  that  your  touch  has 
any  special  influence  over  him,  should  be  banished 
from  the  mind,  for  it  is  the  merest  nonsense.  To 
any  stranger  who  uses  your  tones  he  will  pay  as 
much  attention  as  to  you  ;  to  any  casual  whose 
nerve  and  experience  chance  to  render  the  hand- 
ling of  the  reins,  etc.,  similar  to  that  of  the  accus- 
*  81 


FIRST-HAND  BITS  OF  STABLE  LORE 

tomed  hand,  he  will  prove  as  biddable.  "  Go 
on  "  may  mean  "  stop  "  to  him  ;  "  Whoa  "  may 
produce  accelerated  speed  ;  "  go  away  "  may  make 
him  come  to  you,  provided  he  has  been  used  to 
so  construe  these  commands,  —  and  your  actual 
words  are  immaterial ;  the  tone  and  gesture  are 
the  only  mediums  effective. 

In  "educating"  a  horse  one  should  carefully 
remember  three  vitally  important  facts  which 
never  change  as  characteristics,  although  they 
may  vary  in  degree.  First,  a  horse  is  a  fool,  and 
he  is  a  coward.  Nature  intended  that  this  should 
be  the  case,  in  order  that  his  failing  should  make 
him  distrustful  ;  that  this  foolish  distrust  should 
render  him  timid  because  of  his  suspicions ;  and 
that  the  combination  of  these  characteristics  should 
prompt  him,  once  his  fears  from  whatever  trivial 
cause  are  thoroughly  aroused,  to  use  his  chief 
means  of  protection  (his  speed)  in  flight.  A 
horse  will,  of  course,  fight  when  cornered,  as  will 
any  moral  weakling ;  but,  save  for  a  saucy  colt, 
which  may  now  and  then  run  at  you,  or  an  occa- 
sional stallion  which  has  been  made  savage  by 
solitary  confinement  and  improper  handling, 
there  is  no  such  thing  as  any  attempt  to  seek  an 
encounter  with  man,  whose  scent  is  disagreeable 

82 


THE   HORSE'S   EDUCATION 

to  the  animal,  and  whose  presence  is  distasteful, 
until  it  is  found  that  from  him  come  certain  ad- 
vantages in  the  way  of  care  and  food.     Second, 
the  horse  is  an  animal  of  one  idea,  and  cannot  be 
expected  to  consider  two  or  more  matters  intelli- 
gently at  one  and  the  same  time.      This  is,  of 
course,  a  part  of  the  universal  characteristics  just 
mentioned,  and  an  essential  portion,  for  it  prompts 
the  one  idea  of  terror  of  any  strange  object  or 
action ;  the  one  idea  of  flight  over  or  through  all 
obstacles.     Through  fire  and  flame  he  returns  to 
his  blazing  stall  with  the  one  idea  of  seeking  the 
sanctuary  which  has  always  proved  to  him    the 
safe    and    secure  haven.     Do    not   consider  that 
these  statements  are  intended  to  in  any  way  vilify 
the  animal,  but  let  us  try  to  realize  distinctly  his 
mental  limitations,  and  be  governed  by  them  in 
our  treatment  of  him.     Nothing  but  his  foolish- 
ness allows  man  to  so  successfully  hoodwink  him 
as  to  his  powerlessness  to  evade  the  labor  which 
he  does  not  enjoy,  and  to  obtain  from  him  the 
services  which  he  does  not  delight  to  render,  but 
which  he  imagines  he  cannot  escape. 

As  to  the  "  education  "  of  a  horse,  much  de- 
pends, of  course,  upon  what  will  satisfy  the  owner : 
whether  the  "  three  royal  R's "  are  enough,  or 

83 


FIRST-HAND  BITS  OF  STABLE  LORE 

whether  the  full  collegiate  course  must  be  com- 
pleted. He  who  is  content  that  his  children  shall, 
as  he  himself  did,  stop  short  at  the  merest  rudi- 
ments, will  pooh  pooh  the  higher  branches ;  he 
who  believes  that  a  horse  is  merely  a  beast  which 
turns  either  way  if  the  steersman  pull  hard 
enough,  or  stops  if  he  pull  more  strongly,  will 
ridicule  the  idea  of  any  further  development ;  yet 
may,  if  he  choose,  and  has  ordinary  patience  and 
intelligence,  convert  his  equine  into  a  patent 
safety  conveyance  under  almost  any  circumstances. 
The  public  are  greatly  to  blame,  that,  through 
mistaken  economy,  they  will  not  make  this  cc  edu- 
cation "  possible  to  the  producer  and  the  pur- 
veyor. The  qualities  of  fearlessness,  etc.,  are 
obtained  by  simply  accustoming  a  horse  to  every- 
thing; and  this  takes  time  and  money.  If  you,  as 
a  buyer,  will  not  pay  the  extra  price  the  acquire- 
ment of  these  accomplishments  has  cost,  a  dealer 
will  have  certainly  no  intention  of  spending  any 
more  time  in  such  efforts  upon  his  merchandise 
than  will  make  them  way-wise  enough  to  pass 
muster,  and  the  fault  is  yours,  and  yours  only,  if 
trustworthy  horses  are  not  easily  obtainable.  In- 
stead of  a  properly  educated  steed  at  $500  or 
more,  you  will  persist  in  buying  one  you  know  is 


THE   HORSE'S   EDUCATION 

raw  and  green  for  #150;  and  the  woe  you  thus 
persistently  court  be  upon  your  own  head. 

A  horse  may  be  taught  to  do  anything  possible 
to  any  creature  so  formed,  and  to  be  fearless  of 
everything  on  earth,  if  he  is  accustomed  to  see 
and  hear  all  sights  and  sounds ;  and  the  fault  In 
training  all  colts  and  horses  is  that  we  seek  the 
quietest  country  locations,  and  most  secluded 
roads  and  fields  for  such  purposes,  and  then  have 
to  begin  all  over  again  when  city  life  ensues.  We 
take  the  greatest  care  in  harnessing  the  raw  colt 
that  no  loose  straps  hang  about;  that  the  gig  does 
not  rattle,  etc.,  yet  he  fears  the  dangling  leather 
(or  chains,  even)  no  more  than  the  ordinary  har- 
ness ;  the  clattering  vehicle  than  the  noiseless. 
He  will  pull  the  wagon  by  his  tail,  and  hold  it 
back  by  his  unprotected  quarters,  thighs  and 
hocks,  if  you  educate  him  to  do  it.  An  ideal 
school  for  equines  would  contain  pile-drivers, 
thrashing  machines,  steam-drills,  blowing  paper, 
electric  and  elevated  cars,  etc.,  in  quantity ;  while 
a  band  of  music,  a  company  of  artillery,  and  a 
gang  of  quarrymen  blasting  rocks,  would  prove 
useful  accessories.  Timid  and  foolish,  the  horse 
does  not  discriminate,  and  notices  nothing  fam- 
iliar, nearly  everything  strange ;  your  artillery 

85 


FIRST-HAND  BITS  OF  STABLE  LORE 

wheel-horse  which  stands  drowsily  while  cannons 
fire  in  his  face,  has  a  convulsion  at  sight  of  a 
fluttering  apron. 

As  the  ideal  school  is  a  medley  of  hideous  sights 
and  sounds,  so  the  ideal  schoolmaster  is  dumb. 
He  who  never  speaks  to  a  horse  does  well ;  he 
whose  vocabulary  is  absolutely  limited  to  u  whoa  " 
and  "  c'lk  "  is  fortunate.  These  words  should  be 
construed  by  your  pupil  as  always  meaning  but 
two  things  —  instant  and  motionless  stop  in  the 
first  case,  and  accelerated  progress,  to  be  regulated 
by  the  feeling  of  the  hand  upon  the  reins,  in  the 
other.  Your  voice  alone,  even  in  its  kindest 
tones,  causes  apprehension  in  the  narrow-gauge 
mind  of  the  raw  colt  or  wild  horse,  and  he 
is  prevented  by  his  natural  limitations  from 
calmly  comprehending  the  two  details  of  speech 
and  action  upon  your  part.  Your  actions  he 
finally  appreciates  through  their  personal  effect; 
and  in  the  same  way  the  tones  accompanying 
certain  motions  are  finally  accepted  as  signals. 
Pray  do  not  —  O  dear  reader  do  not  —  enroll 
yourself  among  that  band  of  chirping  and  chir- 
ruping dickey-birds  who,  with  their  incessant 
"P-weep-p-p"  and  the  "c'lk,  c'lk,  c'lk,"  make 
themselves  a  menace  to  others,  and  render  them- 

86 


THE   HORSE'S   EDUCATION 

selves  a  spectacle  to  the  general  public  by  their 
vocal  gymnastics.  The  man  who  is  eternally 
cc  Steady,  old  man,"  or  "  P-weep-p-p  "-ing  to 
his  horse  is  an  infernal  nuisance,  and  a  menace 
to  every  one  within  hearing.  This  wretched  habit 
causes  you  to  spoil  your  own  horse  and  to 
needlessly  irritate  those  of  others ;  you  have  no 
possible  right  to  persist  in  it,  and  some  day  it  will 
be  interdicted,  at  least  in  park-ways  and  bridle- 
paths, by  strict  regulations. 

If  now  your  horse  also  comprehends  the  com- 
mand "  Back,"  he  is  indeed  well  equipped  to  prove 
to  you  a  thoroughly  safe  and  satisfactory  means  of 
transport,  and  to  provide  for  you  all  the  delights 
to  be  so  liberally  gained  from  such  outings. 
Naturally  horses  vary  greatly  in  their  receptive 
powers,  and  their  intelligence  is  not  always  to  be 
gauged  in  the  same  notch.  Every  acquisition  of 
an  accomplishment,  every  instance  of  implicit 
obedience,  renders  much  easier  further  advance  in 
the  direction  of  higher  education.  Not  only  are 
the  body  and  muscles  thus  coerced,  but  obedience 
follows  more  instantly  as  the  futility  of  resistance 
is  understood,  and  there  is  practically  no  limita- 
tion to  the  lengths  to  which  this  instruction  may 
proceed,  allowing  that  the  subject  is  not  physically 

8? 


FIRST-HAND  BITS  OF  STABLE  LORE 

deformed,  and  that  only  feats  possible  to  him  are 
attempted. 

You  are  greatly  to  blame,  as  a  breeder  or  trainer, 
if  you  do  not  teach  your  pupils  to  walk  fast,  and 
to  move  actively  at  all  paces ;  you  are  equally 
culpable,  as  an  owner  and  consumer,  if  you  do  not 
improve  your  steed's  abilities  in  this  direction  to 
the  best  of  his  powers.  Remember  that  this  pace 
is,  to  the  average  horse,  the  only  one  susceptible  of 
improvement,  and  yet  the  gait  upon  which  we 
rarely  attempt  to  work  any  betterment.  Of  course 
the  trotter  or  the  race  horse  will  gain  increased 
speed  at  their  fastest  paces  through  teaching,  but 
the  average  horse  has  his  abilities  at  the  trot  and 
gallop  very  accurately  measured  out  to  him  at 
birth,  while  his  walk  is  what  his  trainer  chooses 
to  make  it.  No  horse  is  so  regularly  overdriven 
and  abused  as  the  slow  and  dawdling  walker, 
none  so  appreciated  as  the  free  and  active  mover 
at  this  gait.  Your  saddle  or  harness  horse  may 
be  greatly  helped  if  you  will  but  persistently  try 
to  educate  him. 

Punishment  must  enter  into  the  education  of  a 
horse,  and  usually  the  quarrel  which  compels  it 
brews  without  a  helping  hand  from  you.  No 
animal  is  safe  until  he  has  been  conquered  in  a 

88 


THE   HORSE'S   EDUCATION 

discussion  of  this  kind,  and  made  to  know  that  he 
must  obey,  or  physical  pain  to  himself  may  follow. 
Arguments  are  naturally  useless,  and  no  such 
thing  as  mutual  alliance  or  concession  is  possible ; 
nor  must  he  for  an  instant  imagine  that  he  is  the 
superior ;  you  must  be  the  boss  and  there  must 
be  no  possible  misunderstanding  about  it.  If  you 
have  to  punish,  the  sharp  and  sudden  is  the  most 
genuinely  kind  method ;  but  the  subject  must  be 
allowed  every  opportunity  to  understand  clearly 
the  reason  for  the  discipline,  and  the  punishment 
itself  must  promptly  follow  the  fault.  It  is  true 
that  if  you  punish  only  for  reasons  that  satisfy 
yourself,  it  is  strange  how  seldom  you  will  inflict 
such  discipline  at  all ;  but  even  so  the  time  always 
comes  when  the  recalcitrant  must  learn  who  is  his 
master.  Punishment  by  no  means  always  means 
whipping  or  spurring,  there  are  other  methods,  and 
the  "  punishment  must  fit  the  crime,"  as  "  The 
Mikado  "  says. 

Ninety  times  in  the  hundred  we  punish  at 
the  wrong  time,  and  in  the  heat  of  passion. 
Remember  that  if  a  horse  is  beaten  for  shying, 
his  narrow  intelligence  will  always  associate  the 
two  events,  and  he  will  so  confuse  cause  and  effect 
as  to  imagine  that  an  encounter  with  a  piece  of 


FIRST-HAND  BITS  OF  STABLE  LORE 

blowing  paper,  for  instance,  is  synonymous  with  a 
sound  thrashing  and  a  badly  hurt  mouth.  There- 
,  fore  when  next  he  meets  this  disconcerting  object 
he  proceeds  to  turn  round,  to  upset  the  buggy, 
and  to  escape  at  all  hazard  from  the  vicinity  of  the 
object  which  has  been  to  him  accompanied  by 
much  physical  distress.  Remember  that  if  he  is 
troubled  by  this  so-called  vice  —  which  it  never 
is  —  his]  one-idead  mind  is  perhaps  to  blame  ; 
or  his  eyes  may  be  wrong  (he  may  be  as  near- 
sighted as  any  of  us) ;  or  the  alarming  sights  may 
be  strange  to  him,  needing  only  thorough  famil- 
iarizing to  be  disregarded ;  or  perhaps  he  may 
be  playing  the  fool  from  sheer  light-heartedness, 
and  if  so,  to  be  circumvented  by  taking  him 
sharply  in  hand,  "  shaking  him  up,"  and  pulling 
him  together  as  the  awesome  spectacle  is  passed. 
Fear  of  any  particular  object  is  almost  invari- 
ably a  token  that  at  some  previous  time,  and  in 
some  other  hands,  serious  fright  or  injury  has  been 
associated  with  it,  and  if  this  seems  to  be  the  case 
the  utmost  patience  is  called  for  in  your  treat- 
ment of  the  timid,  apprehensive  creature. 

While  you  must  punish  at  times,  and  teach 
the  pupil  that  this  will  invariably  follow  wilful 
rebellion,  your  caresses  must  as  regularly,  and  even 

90 


THE    HORSE'S    EDUCATION 

more  promptly,  follow  competent  performance. 
As  cannot  be  too  often  repeated,  however,  these 
must  apply  directly  to  the  part  involved,  and  not 
to  other  portions  of  the  body,  which,  while  they 
may  also  have  been  concerned  in  the  action,  are 
not  so  actively  implicated.  If  your  Uncle  John 
lends  you  ten  dollars,  you  do  not  return  it  to 
Cousin  Henry,  and  in  the  very  same' way  if 
your  hunter  jumps  a  fence,  do  not  pat  his  neck, 
but  the  hind  quarters  which  he  so  ably  em- 
ployed ;  if  he  bends  his  neck  and  carries  himself 
as  your  hand  directs,  do  not  caress  his  shoulders. 
Indiscriminate  petting  is  worse  than  none  at  all, 
and  extremely  confusing,  while  that  which  is 
prompt  and  appropriate  is  the  kernel  of  the  nut, 
the  gist  of  the  whole  matter.  The  old  books  on 
equestrianism  were,  in  a  way,  insistent  upon  such 
points,  and  while  they  were  not  strong  upon  the 
"  caress  "  clause,  they  came  out  brilliantly  upon 
the  punishment  part  of  it  —  and  that  directly  to 
the  rebellious  members,  as  instanced  by  the 
advice  "  to  cure  a  balky  horse  "  by  tying  a  tom- 
cat to  a  pole  and  shoving  it  between  the  hind 
legs  to  scratch  and  bite,  winding  up  with  the 
prophecy,  "  And  thus  doing,  doubt  not  that  he 
will  go  forward." 

91 


FIRST-HAND  BITS  OF  STABLE  LORE 

The  rubbing  of  the  forehead  over  the  brain 
is  always  gratifying  to  the  animal,  and  doubly 
so  when  he  has  obeyed  ;  while  the  application 
of  the  hand,  or  a  light  switch  to  the  ears,  when 
rebellious  has  always  proved  especially  effective 
in  obtaining  obedience  very  quickly.  Baucher, 
the  celebrated  French  equestrian,  must  be  given 
the  credit  for  first  discovering  and  intelligently 
applying  these  principles  of  direct  punishment 
and  reward,  and  while  his  pupils  have  tried  vainly 
to  apply  his  teachings,  their  failures  are  not  due 
to  error  upon  his  part,  or  to  mistakes  in  his 
deductions,  but  to  inability  to  carry  out  his  teach- 
ings, or,  indeed,  to  unravel  from  the  skein  of 
verbiage  in  which  they  are  enmeshed  the  practical 
fragments  of  his  method. 

Remember,  as  the  Irishman  said,  that  your 
pupil  "  has  a  mouth  on  him,"  and  a  most  appre- 
ciative palate  behind  that,  and  do  not  forget  that 
various  tid-bits,  as  apples,  carrots,  sugar,  etc., 
are  as  grateful  to  the  inner  quadruped  as  are 
caresses  to  the  outer.  Of  course  you  will  always 
be  provided  with  such  morsels  if  you  are,  "  'round 
and  about "  horses  to  any  extent,  and  equally  of 
course  you  will  not,  if  you  are  wise,  hand  them  out 
indiscriminately,  but  reserve  them  for  the  mo- 

92 


THE    HORSE'S   EDUCATION 

ments  when  they  may  make  the  most  vivid  im- 
pression, and  "tip"  him  with  them  as  judiciously 
as  were  your  superiors  moved  to  reward  you,  in 
boyhood's  days,  when  various  delicacies  were 
yours  if  —  always  if —  you  did  or  did  not  thus 
and  so. 

Exhaustive  and  tedious  rehearsals  taught  you 
your  letters,  and  no  effort  was  ever  made  to  have 
you  read  before  you  could  spell.  A  horse's 
education  should  follow  the  same  lines.  About 
the  first  lesson  kindergarten  taught  you  was  that 
you  had  to  obey,  and  even  as  the  traits  of  disobedi- 
ence and  disorder  became  more  and  more  con- 
firmed if  not  combated,  so  the  habit  of  submission 
might  be  developed  to  any  length  —  so  far  that 
even  man,  a  reasoning  and  intelligent  being,  should 
have  no  active  and  aggressive  mind  of  his  own. 
This  same  habit  of  non-resistance  may  be  developed 
in  the  horse  to  a  remarkable  extent,  and  not  too 
early  can  the  initiative  in  this  respect  be  taken, 
nor  too  sternly  can  it  be  enforced. 

Good  manners  in  the  subject  who  has  never 
been  thoroughly  "  bested  "  —  allowed  to  attempt 
revolt  and  met  only  with  summary  defeat  —  are 
but  the  merest  shell,  which,  like  the  "shedder" 
crab,  he  is  likely  to  cast  aside  without  a  moment's 

93 


FIRST-HAND  BITS  OF  STABLE  LORE 

notice.  His  good  behavior  has  been  due  to 
laziness  or  indifference,  or  he  has  not  been,  through 
fortunate  environment,  really  alarmed.  Some  day, 
however,  something  happens  to  arouse  him,  and 
then  look  out,  for  no  memory  of  previous  fruit- 
less rebellion  recurs  to  him,  and  you  will,  as  you 
pick  yourself  out  of  the  gutter  or  off  the  tree- 
tops  wish  most  earnestly  that  you  had  devoted 
a  few  of  the  dollars,  which  must  now  go  toward 
doctor's  and  wheelwright's  bills,  to  a  thorough 
collegiate  course  for  your  disappearing  steed ! 
The  domestic  wheels  turn  more  smoothly  after 
the  first  little  "  spat "  or  two  which  really  welds 
the  diverse  natures  more  closely  together ;  the 
wheels  of  your  vehicles  will  be  safer  from  bruise 
and  blemish  if  similar  squabbles  arise  between 
horse  and  master,  but  they  must  have  only  the 
one  result  of  his  defeat. 

You  may  proceed  along  these  educational  lines 
to  whatever  lengths  you  fancy,  but  the  average 
man  will  be  well  satisfied  if  the  primary  school 
stage  is  passed,  and  its  essentials  thoroughly  mas- 
tered. The  great  drawback  attending  the  advanced 
education  of  all  horses  is  two-fold :  firstly  the 
public  will  not  pay  the  prices  which  such  time- 
consuming  work  makes  necessary ;  and  secondly, 

94 


THE   HORSE'S   EDUCATION 

after  the  animal  is  thus  trained,  it  is  not  easy  to 
find  the  man  who  is  similarly  qualified  to  use  him. 
The  rudiments  of  behavior  are  therefore  sufficient 
for  the  average  owner,  and  further  advance  is 
not  practical.  If  the  animal  knows  his  A.  B.  C.'s 
thoroughly,  that  is  a  lot  more  than  can  be  said 
of  the  majority  of  them,  and  we  should  be  grate- 
ful for  that.  Every  accomplishment  may  be 
taught  him  "  hind-side  before  "  if  you  like,  and 
a  pull  to  the  right  may  mean  turn  to  the  left,  as 
it  does  when  the  "jerk  line"  of  the  southern 
four  or  six  mule  team  is  pulled,  and  thus  we.  see 
most  of  our  equestrians  conveying  their  wishes 
to  their  saddle-backs,  by  exactly  wrong  signals 
which  nevertheless  these  patient  creatures  have 
learnt  to  construe  as  meaning  exactly  what  they 
do  not  say  !  If  awkward  blundering  will  effect 
such  results,  what  may  not  intelligent  effort 
attain  ? 

That  latter-day  Juggernaut,  the  noisy  and 
noisome  automobile,  has,  as  was  the  case  when 
the  bicycle  first  appeared,  excited  much  appre- 
hension, and  caused  prophecies  that  driving  and 
riding  would  shortly  become  impossible.  As 
was  the  case  with  the  bicycle,  however,  this  "  bug- 
aboo" will  lose  its  terrors  as  it  becomes  more 

95 


FIRST-HAND  BITS  OF  STABLE  LORE 

common,  and  thereby  horses  get  used  to  it.  The 
whole  country  is  now  so  thickly  settled,  and  the 
ordinary  traffic  along  even  remote  country  roads  is 
so  variegated  that  horses  encounter  these  machines 
in  their  "  salad  days,"  and  long  before  they  come 
to  market.  No  horse  ever  fears  the  bicycle  to- 
day ;  none  will  notice  the  "  ought-not-to-be's " 
to-morrow,  although  the  intervening  period  of  time 
is  trying  to  nerves  and  exasperating  to  tempers. 

Undoubtedly  the  manufacturers  will  provide 
schools  for  equine  education,  and  probably  the 
authorities  will  enact  ordinances  that  horses  must 
attend  them,  for  necessary  evils  must  be  combated 
along  sensible  lines,  and  the  machines  have  as 
much  right  to  the  highways  as  the  animals.  Any 
friend  who  owns  one  of  these  "  contraptions  "  will 
oblige  with  rehearsals.  Let  your  horse,  led 
in  hand,  investigate  it,  smell  it,  touch  it,  gratify 
all  the  senses,  and  thereby  allay  terror,  while  it  is 
standing  still,  then  when  moving  at  all  speeds 
and  from  all  angles ;  feed  him  in  it  if  possible, 
but  simply  keep  at  him  until  he  is  used  to  it,  or 
get  rid  of  him.  Carry  a  thick  felt  blind  with 
you  when  driving,  and  in  narrow  roads  signal  for 
a  halt,  and  blindfold  your  horse.  He  will  not 
move  while  the  machine  passes.  Try  him  with 


THE    HORSE'S    EDUCATION 

all  varieties,  —  the  stenchful,  the  coughing,  the 
snapping,  the  chug-chugging,  the  steaming,  the 
smoking,  the  rattling,  —  they  all  evince  some  one 
or  all  of  these  enjoyable  characteristics,  and  keep 
rehearsing  him  until  indifferent  to  them,  apologiz- 
ing to  him  for  the  inconvenience  which  the  dis- 
eased taste  of  modern  man  has  forced  upon  him, 
and  never  punishing  him  for  manifesting  the 
alarm  which  at  times  overcomes  even  you  at  the 
uproar  and  confusion  which  attends  the  passage 
of  these  horrors. 

It  is  impossible,  of  course,  within  the  limits  of 
a  book  to  give  ways  and  means,  methods  and 
manners,  of  "  educating  "  the  horse  to  sedately 
perform  all  the  offices  which  we  require  of  him, 
but  the  fundamental  rules  are  invariably  the  same, 
and  their  results  if  intelligently  applied,  are  uni- 
versally satisfactory.  A  certain  amount  of"  horse 
sense  "  is  required,  and  ordinary  nerve  and  temper ; 
that  is  all,  and  every  horse  which  successfully  per- 
forms on  track  or  circus  ring,  park,  road,  or  rid- 
ing school,  has  learned  his  lesson  on  these  general 
lines  of  instruction,  which  might  have  been  ac- 
quired so  much  more  quickly,  painlessly,  and 
pleasantly,  had  reward  always  been  intelligible, 
caress  appropriate,  and  punishment  as  rare,  as 

97 


FIRST-HAND  BITS  OF  STABLE  LORE 

prompt  and  severe  upon  occasion.  Sentiment 
and  theory  are  slender  supports  in  such  matters, 
and  as  you  love  and  care  for  all  dumb  animals,  so 
see  that  in  their  sphere  of  action  they  perform 
their  tasks  as  you,  their  master,  direct ;  promoting 
thus  their  truest  happiness  and  best  welfare. 


Chapter    VIII 

MOUTHS   AND   MANNERS 

WITHOUT  manners  of  the  best, 
neither  man  nor  horse  is  fit  for 
polite  society ;  and  as  the  one  may 
be  judged  by  the  words  which  fall 
from  his  lips,  so  may  the  other  by  the  moisture 
which  anoints  his  bars  and  mouth  angles ;  for  if 
one  would  keep  the  horse's  mouth  alive  and  sen- 
sitive, beware  the  period  when  moisture  disap- 
pears, and  saliva  ceases  to  be  in  evidence,  —  a 
lubrication  intended  by  nature  to  facilitate  in  just 
such  ways  the  comfort  of  the  animal.  Without 
manners,  the  biped  is  reduced  to  the  level  of  the 
aborigine,  the  quadruped  to  that  of  the  wild 
beast,  in  degree  equal  to  their  respective  deficien- 
cies in  such  respects.  In  view  of  the  constantly 
increasing  number  of  horse  shows,  it  is  curious 
that  so  little  attention  is  paid  to  these  points ;  or 
that,  when  these  requirements  are  insisted  upon, 
they  form  an  unimportant  detail  under  the  cap- 

99 


FIRST-HAND  BITS  OF  STABLE  LORE 

tion,  "  mouth  and  manners  also  to  be  considered/' 
How  refreshing  it  would  be  to  notice  some  such 
classification  as  this  :  "  Mouth  and  manners  about 
ninety  per  cent ;  horses  also  to  be  considered/' 
and  fairly  practical  as  well,  for,  as  every  dealer 
knows,  and  as  every  buyer  will  agree,  without 
these  two  essentials  in  their  best  development,  no 
horse  is  trustworthy. 

"To  balk"  is  generally  interpreted  as  a  refusal 
to  progress,  and  good  old  Mr.  Webster  in  his 
lively  little  work,  sets  forth  that  "  balky  "  means 
"  apt  to  turn  aside  or  stop  abruptly."  Mr. 
Webster  is  a  trifle  out  on  the  last  definition, 
however,  as  "  stopping  abruptly "  implies  that 
there  must  previously  have  existed  motion,  which, 
alas,  is  not  always  within  the  facts !  No  reference 
is  made  as  to  direction,  and  an  animal  as  truly 
balks  which  refuses  to  back,  or  to  turn  either  way 
at  the  signal  of  the  reins,  as  the  beast  which 
objects  to  go  forward.  At  the  Philadelphia  show 
a  few  years  ago  the  judges,  asking  a  coachman  to 
back  a  step  away  from  a  puddle  of  water  and 
mud,  found  he  could  not  perform  the  feat ; 
further  investigation  revealing  the  fact  that  but 
one  entry  in  the  entire  class  could  and  would 
"progress  backward,"  yet  several  of  them  had 

100 


MOUTHS  AND    MANNERS 

previously  won  as  private  carriage  horses,  pre- 
sumably suitable  for  ladies  and  children  to  drive 
behind  !  Surely  all  horse-show  exhibits  should  be 
required  to  back  freely  and  in  a  straight  line,  a 
distance  of  at  least  twenty  feet,  and  to  stand  still, 
when  "  lined  up,"  without  a  man  to  hold  them, 
or  be  instantly  disqualified,  be  their  merits  ever  so 
great.  Conditions  are  published  far  enough  in 
advance  for  intending  exhibitors  to  familiarize 
themselves  with  all  details,  and  prepare  accord- 
ingly ;  and  if  they  will  not  take  the  trouble,  or 
have  not  the  skill,  to  mouth  and  manner  their 
entries,  let  them  cc  take  the  penalty  for  their  neg- 
lect." It  would  surely  be  for  the  best  interests 
of  all  if  severe  bitting  were  restricted,  and  no  horse 
allowed  to  compete  which  was  apparelled  in  any- 
thing but  a  plain  elbow,  or  Liverpool  bit,  no 
port,  and  the  reins  in  either  the  cheek  or  half- 
cheek,  the  chain  loose  and  untwisted.  We  do 
not  want  to  know  what  an  animal  can  be  tortured 
into  doing,  but  to  see  what  he  does  when  left 
comparatively  to  himself;  and  too  many  awards 
have  gone  to  the  brutes  that  have  to  be  "  fished," 
jerked,  and  whipped  into  the  ribbons,  and  that 
cannot,  or  will  not,  go  a  yard  save  under  strong 
compulsion.  Any  external  evidence  of  appliances 

TOI 


FIRST-HAND  BITS  OF  STABLE  LORE 

for  controlling  or  influencing  pace  or  action  is 
promptly  penalized ;  why  punish  for  the  employ- 
ment of  what  every  one  can  see,  and  omit  investi- 
gation as  to  concealed  means  of  control  which 
may  be  far  more  severe  and  inexcusable  ? 

As  is  well  known,  many  horses  go  quietly 
single  if  the  breeching  is  omitted,  but  strongly 
object  when  that  sometimes  necessary  portion  of 
the  equipment  is  used.  Yet,  in  championship 
classes  at  least,  it  would  seem  that  the  competitors 
should  be  put  to  this  and  all  other  conceivable 
fair  tests ;  for  certainly  champions  should  possess 
perfection  of  manners  and  mouth.  A  horse  also 
which  must  be  gag-checked  until  his  backbone 
creaks,  and  he  can't  close  his  eyes,  is  deficient  in 
deportment.  Our  saddle-horse  classes  are  ham- 
pered with  such  proper  requirements  to  but  slight 
extent,  and  exhibitors  employ  all  sorts  of  arrange- 
ments to  get  away  with  the  money  if  possible. 
Not  thirty  per  cent  of  their  horses  will  back;  not 
half  of  them  stand  still,  either  mounted  or  to  be 
mounted ;  and  not  one  of  them  is  ever  required 
to  "side-step"  freely  and  instantly,  as  he  must 
do  if  his  rider  wishes  to  open  a  gate  or  a  door 
from  his  back,  hold  it,  sidle  round  it  (pirouette), 
and  close  it  again.  A  saddle-horse  is  supposed  to 

102 


MOUTHS   AND    MANNERS 

carry  you  across  country,  or  anywhere,  and  gates 
and  bar- ways  may  be  present  in  quantities.  Your 
hack  need  not  know  how  to  jump  them,  but  he 
must  know  how  to  be  handy  in  the  other  ways. 

We  have  gone  quite  daft  upon  the  subject  of 
appointments,  which  matter  not  at  all  to  any  one 
but  the  faddist  and  the  cc  poseur,"  but  never  stop 
to  consider  that  an  outfit  comprising  every  detail 
that  caprice  may  require  or  ingenuity  construct, 
may  be  quickly  reduced  to  fragments,  and  rele- 
gated to  a  state  of  "  innocuous  desuetude,"  by  the 
misdirected  energies  of  an  animal  which  is  lacking 
in  these  two  essentials. 

Primarily,  and  of  more  importance  than  the 
layman  will  allow,  it  is  necessary  that  your  horse's 
"  clothes  must  fit,"  his  harness  be  just  right  at  alJ 
points,  his  saddle  properly  fitted  to  his  back,  and 
correctly  placed,  his  bit  or  bits  rightly  arranged 
in  his  mouth.  Let  the  master  be  ever  so  partic- 
ular as  to  the  set  of  his  own  garments,  it  is  a  mar- 
vellous fact  that  he  will,  month  after  month,  ride 
his  hack  uncomfortably  and  improperly  capari- 
soned as  to  saddle  and  bridle,  the  former  wrongly 
placed,  unevenly  padded,  too  narrow  and  too 
short  in  seat  to  properly  distribute  weight  when 
the  rider  is  a  heavy  man,  and  the  head-piece  too 

103 


FIRST-HAND  BITS  OF  STABLE  LORE 

narrow  in  brow-band;  too  short  as  to  bridoon, 
too  narrow  as  to  bit,  too  severe  as  to  curb-chain, 
too  small  as  to  both  mouth-pieces.  The  average 
bridoon  bit  is  generally  so  tightly  drawn  up  into 
the  angles  of  the  mouth  that  cheeks  are  wrinkled 
and  drawn  in  against  the  teeth,  so  that  any  motion 
of  them  tends  to  bruise  and  lacerate  the  inside  of 
the  cheeks,  causing  continual  pain  and  discomfort. 
Nine  bridoons  out  of  ten  are  taken  up  from  three 
to  six  holes  too  short,  and  the  bridoon  thus  acts 
upon  a  part  of  the  mouth  which  it  was  never 
meant  to  touch,  and  which  it  must  not  press  upon 
if  the  best  results  are  expected.  An  old-fashioned 
"Dexter  snaffle  "  is  the  best  bridoon  known,  and 
it  cannot  be  too  large,  while  its  shape  prevents  its 
pulling  through  the  mouth  (as  does  the  ordinary 
small-ringed  wire  bridoon).  A  bridoon  dropped 
as  low,  or  lower,  than  the  bit,  will  effect  the  best 
results,  as  experiment  proves,  as  practice  confirms, 
and  as  the  most  competent  authorities  advocate. 
As  the  bridoon  is  too  high  generally,  so  is  the  bit 
placed  too  low,  and  is  often  not  only  very  narrow, 
but  sometimes  provided  with  a  port  as  well. 

While  the  whole  purpose,  intention,  and  indica- 
tions of  the  two  bits  are  dissimilar,  and  intended 
rarely  to  be  used  at  equal  tension,  most  equestrians 

104 


MOUTHS   AND    MANNERS 

handle  them  as  one  rein,  and  rest  their  weight 
upon  both  alike.  It  is  a  miracle,  not  that  the 
horses  occasionally  turn  sulky,  and  rear  and  run 
away,  but  that  most  of  them  are  so  well  behaved 
under  their  uncomfortable  accoutrements.  Now 
that  the  "  full  "  bridle  —  the  double-bitted  —  is  in 
such  general  use,  it  behooves  every  one  who  rides 
to  carefully  study  the  effect  of  the  bits  ;  to  ascertain 
by  experiment  how  a  horse  goes  most  pleasantly ; 
to  purchase  larger  and  easier  bits,  and  to  inspect 
the  inside  of  their  horses'  mouths  and  consider 
those  wonderfully  constructed,  delicate,  and  sen- 
sitive membranes  upon  which  these  instruments 
must  rest. 

As  in  the  case  of  the  saddle-horse,  so  with  the 
heavy  harness-horse;  we  do  not  use  ordinary  care 
that  his  comfort  is  assured  before  we  ask  or  expect 
perfect  service.  We  jam  a  huge  "  Liverpool  "  or 
"  elbow  "  bit  between  his  teeth,  and  before  he  has 
more  than  licked  it  over,  proceed  to  convey  to 
him  a  series  of  most  confusing  signals,  which  he 
has  neither  time  nor  preliminary  instruction 
enough  to  understand.  In  his  confusion  he 
finally  makes  a  leap  or  plunge,  and,  not  allowing 
for  the  action  of  the  bit,,  or  the  fact  that  the 
driver's  weight  will  almost  break  his  jaw-bone, 

105 


FIRST-HAND  BITS  OF  STABLE  LORE 

receives  a  terrific  jab  on  that  sensitive  membrane, 
and  a  bruise  which  either  grows  more  and  more 
deep-seated  until  some  bone  sloughs  away,  or, 
continually  painful,  renders  him  frantic  each  time 
he  is  harnessed.  Nor  does  the  mischief  end  here, 
because  he  finds  that,  if  he  pulls  hard  enough, 
that  infernal  chain  round  his  jaw,  and  that  double- 
fisted  Indian  that  is  driving  him,  form  a  combi- 
nation which  will  quickly  destroy  all  sensation. 
Of  the  two  evils  he  chooses  the  lesser,  and  another 
confirmed  puller  is  educated. 

Mouth  and  manners  are  interdependent,  and 
no  horse  which  has  a  bad  mouth  can  have  good 
manners.  Heavy  hands  make  bad  mouths,  and 
so  far  as  equestrianism  goes,  no  man  can  possibly 
have  good  hands  who  has  not  a  strong  and  secure 
seat,  while  he  may  possess  a  very  firm  seat  and 
the  very  worst  of  hands.  The  interpretation  of 
what  constitutes  "  good  hands "  is  generally 
wrong,  and  half  the  people  who  pride  themselves 
upon  such  possessions  will  be  found  to  be  actually 
riding  and  driving  their  horses  "  behind  the  bit;" 
that  is,  they  do  not  make  their  animals  go  up  to 
and  face  it,  but  allow  the  "give  and  take"  proc- 
ess to  be  all  "give."  There  is  more  to  "hands" 
than  mere  manipulation.  There  is  the  intui- 

106 


MOUTHS   AND    MANNERS 

tive  perception  of  what  a  horse  is  about  to  do, 
and  the  instant  frustration  and  correction  of  any 
outbreak  in  just  the  proper  degree,  which  is  so 
much  a  matter  of  instinct  that  it  is  automatic. 
Therefore,  it  may  be  said,  be  he  ever  so  assiduous 
in  practice,  no  man  can  ever  acquire  good  hands 
who  is  not  thoroughly  sympathetic,  and  has  not 
that  indefinable  "horse  sense"  so  necessary  to 
successful  equine  manipulation.  It  is  this  quality 
that  enables  some  men  to  get  on  amicably  with 
even  the  most  determined  rogues  and  pullers.  No 
special  appliances  for  them,  but  just  the  exercise 
of  the  gifts  of  sympathetic  intelligence  which 
nature  has  granted  them. 

With  such  hands  a  man  handles  his  horse's 
mouth  with  a  touch  that  may  sometimes  seem 
rough,  and  frequently  is.  He  never  yields  until 
the  horse  does,  and  then  gives  (rewards  his  sub- 
mission) like  a  flash,  but  only  to  an  almost  im- 
perceptible degree  very  often  ;  forcing  the  animal 
up  to  his  bridle  by  word  and  whip  (or  spur  if  rid- 
ing). A  "  nagsman  "  handling  a  green  and  raw 
horse  may  seem,  as  he  "  fishes  "  him  along,  to  be 
rough  in  his  treatment,  but,  on  the  contrary,  he  is 
using  consummate  skill  with  beautiful  effect,  and, 
given  a  pliant  and  finished  animal,  no  fingers  will 

107 


FIRST-HAND  BITS  OF  STABLE  LORE 

be  more  airy.  He  is  making  the  creature  do 
what  is  desired  to  the  best  possible  advantage, 
and  that  is  "  hands  "  in  its  best  development,  be 
methods  approved  or  condemned.  He  combats 
each  wayward  movement  and  awkward  turn  with 
so  much  finesse  and  apparent  ease  that  the  on- 
looker is  completely  deceived ;  and  he  wends  his 
way  through  complicated  traffic,  his  horse  always 
in  hand  ;  careful  to  anticipate  any  awkward  move, 
and  requiring  just  enough  increasingly  correct  per- 
formance from  his  pupil  to  advance  his  education 
while  it  neither  confuses  nor  discourages  him. 
Watch  him  as  he  is  about  to  turn  at  the  end  of 
the  block ;  part  way  round,  the  mouth  subtly 
telegraphs  that  the  horse  does  not  quite  under- 
stand, or  does  not  wish  to  describe  the  correct 
semi-circle  intended  ;  like  a  flash  the  reins  "  fish  " 
the  mouth,  and  if  the  answer  still  is  "no,"  a  step 
or  two  in  a  straight  line,  and  then  another  at- 
tempt, or  a  turn  the  other  way,  but  no  confusion, 
and  no  quarrel ;  here  is  a  trolley  on  one  side,  and 
a  steam  drill  on  the  other;  forcing  the  pupil  up  to 
his  bit,  the  driver  fairly  lifts  him  through,  shifting 
the  bit,  and  using  all  his  arts  to  bring  about  the 
safe  passage  which  he  invariably  secures.  The 
spectator  may  say  that  this  charioteer  had  no 

108 


MOUTHS   AND    MANNERS 

hands,  and  that  he  hurt  his  horse's  mouth,  which 
very  possibly  he  did,  but  both  hands  and  manage- 
ment were  of  the  best  and  most  appropriate  for 
that  particular  case,  and  any  deviation  from  the 
methods  followed  might  have  caused  a  serious 
accident.  What  this  man  did,  he  is  doing 
all  day  long,  and  every  day,  and  probably  he 
could  not  tell  you  why  he  adopts  his  methods, 
or  what  those  methods  are ;  condemn  them 
if  you  like,  but  be  sure  that,  theory  aside,  the 
individual  who  successfully  handles  all  sorts  of 
raw  horses  in  all  sorts  of  places  has  hands  of 
the  very  finest,  and  given  time,  his  charges  will 
usually  acquire  mouths  and  manners  of  the  very 
best. 

The  novice  commits  his  first  (generally  his  reg- 
ular) mistake  when  he  sets  out  to  "make"  a  horse's 
mouth  by  asking  the  animal  to  change  his  balance 
and  yield  to  the  bit  before  his  muscles,  especially 
those  of  the  neck  and  crest,  are  limber  and  supple. 
Nothing  is  more  likely  to  make  a  dead  and  hard 
mouth  than  the  practice  of  putting  a  "  dumb 
jockey  "  on  a  horse  in  his  stall  or  box,  bearing 
him  up,  and  leaving  him  to  "fight  it  out."  The 
suddenly  contracted  muscles  pain  him,  and  he  is 
thoroughly  uncomfortable ;  he  fights  back  and 

109 


FIRST-HAND  BITS  OF  STABLE  LORE 

learns  that  even  if  he  does  "lug"  and  lay  his 
weight  on  the  bit,  he  is  no  worse  off  than  before, 
and  another  puller  is  made.  If  you  mean  to 
check  a  horse  high,  and  especially  to  gag-check 
him,  always  do  one  of  two  things :  either  leave 
the  check  off  the  water-hook  for  the  first  ten 
minutes  of  the  drive,  or  start  with  it  five  or  six 
holes  too  long,  to  be  taken  up  later.  If  you 
really  want  your  charge  to  improve  quickly  and 
make  a  fine  and  sensitive  mouth,  drive  him  on  a 
fairly  loose  check,  and  when  you  return,  and  after 
he  is  free  of  the  wagon,  bear  him  up  hard  and 
leave  him  so,  on  the  floor  or  in  a  stall,  for  not 
over  fifteen  minutes.  He  is  warmed  up  and 
can  yield,  and  he  freely  does,  often  with  extraor- 
dinary results.  Of  course  his  physical  structure 
must  be  considered  carefully,  and  impossibilities 
must  not  be  asked,  or  another  puller  is  assured. 
Thick  and  short  necks  cannot  arch ;  narrow 
jaws  cannot  flex  too  far;  weak  backs  and  loins 
will  not  bear  too  much  strain ;  of  the  two  evils 
your  horse  will  choose  the  lesser,  and  if  he 
cannot  give,  and  you  persist,  he  must  resist  and 
pull.  Conformation  must  always  be  taken  into 
consideration. 

Broadly  speaking,  every  horse  that   is    fit   to 


MOUTHS   AND    MANNERS 

use,  ought,  in  heavy  harness,  to  drive  comfortably 
in  either  the  check  or  preferably  the  half-check ; 
and  ninety  per  cent  of  them  will  do  so  if  proper 
appliances  are  used.  The  use  of  the  middle-bar 
has  many  drawbacks,  and  tends  to  make  a  horse 
dead  in  his  mouth  very  quickly,  unless  carefully 
applied,  for,  some  day  the  plain  loose  chain  gets 
twisted,  the  bit  drops  lower  to  a  new  place,  the 
mouth  is  bruised,  and,  as  hanging  back  procures 
punishment,  the  horse,  again  choosing  the  lesser 
evil,  pulls  to  let  the  chain  and  bit  numb  his 
mouth  and  —  another  puller  is  in  process  of 
manufacture.  Be  sure  the  bit  is  neither  too  nar- 
row nor  (as  generally)  too  wide ;  if  the  latter,  put 
on  leather  cheek-pieces  to  make  it  fit,  or  get  an- 
other bit. 

If  the  smooth  side  of  an  elbow  bit  is  too  easy, 
try  the  rough;  if  the  subject  opens  his  mouth, 
put  on  an  "  all-round "  nose-band;  try  the  bit 
high  and  low,  loose  chain  and  tight,  plain  chain 
and  twisted,  until  you  find  the  "  comfortable  spot," 
and  frequently  shift  it  from  there  if  he  is  inclined 
to  take  hold ;  if  a  "  tongue  loller,"  or  one  which 
gets  his  tongue  over  the  bit,  try  dropping  it  very 
low  instead  of,  as  usual,  taking  it  up  very  high,  or 
put  on  a  long  sole-leather  port  which  will  keep 

in 


FIRST-HAND  BITS  OF  STABLE  LORE 

the  tongue  in  place ;  if  he  "  lugs  "  on  one  rein,  or 
has  a  habit  of  lunging,  sidling,  or  wheeling  either 
way,  apply  a  bristle  burr  until  he  gives  it  up,  an 
instrument  which,  contrary  to  the  S.  P.  C.  A.,  is 
neither  cruel  nor  used  to  "  make  horses  prance  " 
and  "  foam  at  the  mouth,"  but  to  keep  them  out 
of  shop  windows,  off  sidewalks,  and  on  all-fours, 
and  is  a  most  useful  and  necessary  adjunct  to  the 
proper  bitting  of  many  horses ;  uncomfortable, 
yes,  but  cruel,  never,  nor  will  its  steady  use 
cause  even  an  abrasion.  The  demonstrations 
of  the  S.  P.  C.  A.,  and  certain  old  women, 
against  these  contrivances  cause  much  merri- 
ment among  all  practical  horsemen  who  use, 
always  have  used,  and  always  will  use  them 
when  "necessary,"  but  "no  longer  and  not 
otherwise;"  in  fact,  it  is  only  exceptional  cases 
that  require  them. 

Every  puller  is  made,  none  was  ever  "  born 
so,"  and  every  such  horse  has  some  reason  for  his 
bad  mouth,  and  some  one  arrangement  of  bit  and 
bridle  that  will  suit  him,  —  it  is  for  his  intelligent 
owner,  given  certain  fundamental  principles,  to 
learn  the  one  and  to  provide  the  other.  Sharp 
teeth  are  a  frequent  cause  of  trouble,  and  every 
master  should  see  to  it  that  his  stud  is  inspected 

112 


MOUTHS   AND    MANNERS 

annually  by  a  competent  dentist,  and  no  money  is 
more  humanely  or  practically  spent. 

Of  course  a  four-ringed  snaffle  or  other  bit  may 
be  used  for  heavy  harness  work,  and  in  light  har- 
ness the  sensible  and  easy  bits  in  vogue  will  in 
their  various  combinations  meet  practically  any 
needs.  In  heavy  harness,  however,  an  "elbow" 
or  a  "Liverpool0  bit  is  the  sort  in  general  use, 
and  the  methods  named  apply  to  these  as  to 
others.  Given  a  proper  mouth,  the  acquisition 
of  acceptable  manners  is  so  natural  a  sequence 
and  so  entirely  a  matter  of  a  little  patience  and  a 
very  reasonable  amount  of  horse  sense,  that  it  is 
hardly  necessary  to  go  into  the  ways  and  means 
of  perfecting  education  in  these  particulars.  Firm- 
ness and  constant  rehearsal  until  letter-perfect, 
and  all  lessons  short  and  frequent  are  the  rules  to 
follow,  and  your  horse's  accomplishments  in  all 
the  practical  decencies  are  limited  only  by  your 
own  patience  and  intelligence  as  an  instructor. 
One  always  chuckles  inwardly  to  hear  an  owner 
say,  "  I  can't  wait,  my  old  mare  won't  stand,  and 
has  troubled  me  that  way  for  the  six  years  I  've 
owned  her."  What  folly  to  allow  one's  self  to 
be  mastered  by  a  dumb  beast !  One  might  as  well 
admit  that  one  could  n't  open  one's  office  before 
8  n3 


FIRST-HAND  BITS  OF  STABLE  LORE 

ten  o'clock  because  the  old  bookkeeper  did  not 
choose  to  show  up.  You  may  be  pretty  sure 
that  the  old  mare  is  more  amused  at  it  than  any 
one  else  and  fairly  neighs  with  laughter  at  the 
biped  who  imagines  he  is  master. 


Chapter  IX 

THE    FOOT   AND   ITS    TREATMENT 

IT  is  inevitable,  if  you  keep  horses  for  any 
length  of  time,  and  really  take  interest  in 
them,  that   you  should  develop  a  fad  in 
connection  with  shoeing,  and  the  care  of 
the  feet.     It  is  earnestly  advised  that  when  this 
period  arrives,  you   read  carefully  all    the  books 
treating   of  such  matters    available ;    then    select 
your  fad,  and  stick  to  it  through  thick  and  thin, 
saving   thereby    much    discomfort   and    probable 
injury    to   your    animal    and    possible    loss    to 
yourself. 

"  Well,  come,  now,"  you  may  say  to  the  writer 
"  what  is  your  fad  ?  "  And  to  this  the  reply  will 
be  made  that  it  is  the  use  of  tips  where  any  shoes 
are  to  be  worn  ;  but  that  probably  the  "fad  genu- 
ine "  in  this  case  is  the  unshod  and  bare  foot  and 
the  use  of  no  protection  of  any  kind.  This  is 
not  the  result  of  theory,  but  of  practice  extending 
over  many  years,  and  applied  to  many  animals. 

"5 


FIRST-HAND  BITS  OF  STABLE  LORE 

Preliminarily  he  will  assert  that,  given  the  op- 
portunity to  rest  the  animal  (by  employing  others) 
when  the  attrition  of  our  stone  and  gravel  roads 
has  worn  the  foot  to  a  condition  where  the  horse 
evidences  tenderness,  nearly  every  horse  —  at  all 
events  the  beast  for  average  harness  and  saddle  use 
—  does  better,  and  is  vastly  cheaper  to  keep  if  left 
barefooted.  Secondly  he  gives  it  as  his  experience 
and  opinion  that  an  even  larger  percentage  does 
better,  lasts  longer  sound,  and  works  more  easily 
and  naturally  if  no  shoes  are  used  but  tips. 

Naturally  Dame  Nature  does  not  in  a  night 
overcome  the  mistakes  of  years,  nor  produce  in  a 
moment  the  redundancy  of  material  rendered 
necessary  by  the  sudden  exposure  of  the  un- 
accustomed foot.  The  secreting  vessels  must  be 
brought  up  gradually  to  the  point  of  pouring  forth 
in  quantity  the  horny  matter  needed  to  repair  such 
waste,  and  growth  must  be  forced  by  the  appli- 
cation of  moisture  ;  and  the  foot  itself  gradually 
toughened,  frequent  intervals  of  rest  being  ar- 
ranged that  renewal  may  keep  pace  with  the 
attrition  of  travel.  Of  course  the  pleasure  horse, 
for  saddle  or  driving  purposes,  or  the  farm  horse, 
is  the  animal  indicated  for  this  treatment,  and  the 
heavy  drafter  used  on  city  pavements  is  outside 

116 


THE   FOOT  AND   ITS   TREATMENT 

the  pale,  both  because  of  his  weight  and  of  the 
location  and  regular  long  periods  of  his  labor. 
Our  pleasure  horses,  on  the  contrary,  are  most 
irregularly  used,  and  that  for  only  a  matter  of  an 
hour  or  two  at  a  time,  so  that,  if  they  have  origi- 
nally fairly  sound  feet,  they  may  be  used  either 
barefooted  or  wearing  tips,  and  while  not,  of 
course,  displaying  that  excessive  action  which 
weight  in  the  shoe  assists  to  procure,  they  retain  as 
much  of  it  as  is  necessary  to  attractive  progress. 
Our  showmen  are  in  the  habit  to-day  of  leaving 
their  exhibits  barefoot  between  shows,  and  the 
shoes  then  applied  greatly  enhance  the  always 
extravagant  action.  While  just  at  first  wet  swabs 
about  the  coronets,  and  even  the  use  of  the  foot- 
tub,  will  force  the  horny  growth,  no  moisture  will 
afterwards  be  called  for  beyond  that  absorbed  in 
washing  the  feet,  or  in  travelling  muddy  roads. 
If  growth  is  rapid,  extra  pains  must  be  taken  to 
keep  the  feet  level  and  balanced,  and  frequent 
treatment  with  a  rasp  (never  any  other  instrument) 
is  needed  to  round  up  the  edges  of  quarters  and 
toes.  The  attrition  of  travel  will  remove  all  sur- 
plus horn,  but  it  must  be  noticed  that  all  horses 
do  not  wear  their  feet  alike,  and  then  it  is  your 
duty  to  preserve  the  level  they  destroy,  and  to 

117 


FIRST-HAND  BITS  OF  STABLE  LORE 

credit  yourself  the  amount  of  the  blacksmith's 
bill  you  do  not  pay. 

A  barefooted,  or  a  tip-wearing  horse  rarely 
overreaches,  and  never  interferes,  stumbles,  or 
slips,  suffers  from  corns,  quittor,  quarter-crack, 
etc.,  nor  ever  injures  himself  or  others  with  sharp 
calks.  He  will  go  a  trifle  short  for  a  day  or  two 
sometimes  if  you  wear  his  feet  too  thin,  but  never 
if  you  use  tips.  These  are  simply  a  protection 
to  the  toe,  and  therefore  that  portion  of  the  foot 
must  be  regularly  shortened  and  lowered,  or  an 
unduly  elongated  foot  works  harm  to  back  ten- 
dons, and  throws  all  the  joints  of  the  leg  out  of 
gear.  This  tiny  crescent  of  iron  (or  steel)  is  set 
into  the  toe  in  a  groove  made  just  inside  its  edge 
by  the  drawing-knife,  which  is  just  sufficient  to 
allow  the  admission  of  the  tip,  and  fastened  by 
three  nails,  to  take  the  friction  of  travel  by  extend- 
ing just  below  the  surface  of  the  foot,  extending 
round  the  toe  to  the  widest  part  of  the  foot. 

The  heels  never  need  opening  as  is  so  usually 
done ;  the  bars  and  frog  should  be  left  entirely 
alone.  The  requisites  are  a  level  and  natural  tread, 
and  this  must  be  carefully  provided,  or  quarters, 
if  weak,  may  develop  fissures  or  quarter-cracks. 

Wash  your  horse's  feet  always,  and  have  them 
118 


THE   FOOT  AND   ITS   TREATMENT 

wiped  over,  when  going  to  the  door,  with  a  damp 
sponge,  but  do  not  defile  them  with  grease  or 
blacking  which  will  not  keep  clean  for  ten  steps 
and  will  cover  your  hands  and  gloves  with  filth 
if  you  touch  them.  Such  applications  close  all 
the  pores,  and  prevent  the  entrance  of  moisture 
thereby ;  besides  which,  the  equine  foot  perspires 
and  should  be  allowed  to  do  so  unchecked. 

The  savage  travels  barefooted  over  the  rough- 
est and  most  stony  ground,  and  so  will  that  horse 
which  has  never  been  shod,  —  especially  if  he  is 
protected  for  the  first  time  by  tips.  Shoes  and 
boots  render  soft  the  savage's  leathern  sole,  how- 
ever, and  so  do  the  refinements  of  civilization 
cause  the  horse  to  seem  to  demand  similar  assist- 
ance. As  the  one  foot  can  be  toughened  so  can 
the  other. 

Certain  fast  trotters  need  —  so  far  as  experi- 
ment has  gone  —  an  extremely  long  toe,  and 
various  forms  and  weights  of  shoes  to  so  balance 
them  that  they  can  reach  and  maintain  the  limit 
of  their  speed.  Many  celebrated  show  horses 
require  similar  appliances  to  display  that  high  and 
stately  action  which  catches  the  attention  of  the 
crowd,  and  draws  the  approval  of  the  judges. 
The  pleasure  animal,  the  ££  common  or  garden  " 

119 


FIRST-HAND  BITS  OF  STABLE  LORE 

horse,  the  race  horse,  and  the  pony  in  all  his 
heights  will  do  perfectly  well  in  tips,  or  barefooted 
if  due  allowances  are  made  for  rest  and  for  recu- 
peration of  the  horn-producing  vessels  from  time 
to  time.  The  writer  has  proved  this  time  and 
again,  not  in  isolated  cases,  but  with  dozens  of 
horses,  and  of  all  ages  and  conditions,  but  natur- 
ally not  without  close  personal  supervision,  and  a 
knowledge  for  himself  that  all  details  were  attended 
to,  all  directions  carried  out.  Grooms,  black- 
smiths, and  even  the  average  horse-owner  are 
opposed  to  all  innovations,  and  even  if  they  adopt 
them,  do  so  more  with  the  idea  of  proving  them 
impractical  than  the  reverse.  Fair  trial  is  what 
all  such  plans  should  be  accorded,  however,  espe- 
cially when  so  great  an  economy  is  possible.  If 
you  chase  hither  and  yon  to  save  a  cent  a  bushel 
on  oats  or  a  trifle  on  hay,  why  not  fairly  try  a 
scheme  that  will  save  you  many  dollars  per  annum, 
—  not  only  in  smith's  bills  but  in  wear  and  tear 
of  horse-flesh  ?  We  all  agree  that  the  first  thing 
to  do  when  we  turn  our  horses  out  is  to  either 
pull  off  the  shoes  or  to  replace  them  with  tips, 
and  thus  equipped  we  allow  them  probably  to 
travel  several  miles  daily  in  ranging  over  their 
pasture,  —  and  that  means  a  good  many  miles 

1 20 


THE   FOOT  AND    ITS   TREATMENT 

when  we  consider  the  quality  of  the  average 
pasture-ground  !  What  is  there  to  ordinary  har- 
ness or  saddle  work  that  is  more  exacting,  or 
likely  to  wear  away  the  horn  ?  If  you  fear  to  try 
it  on  the  front  feet,  treat  the  hind  after  this  plan  ; 
and  if  it  seems  too  radical  to  leave  the  subject 
barefoot  all  summer,  take  the  early  spring  or  the 
winter  snows  for  the  experiment. 

The  only  means  of  keeping  a  shod  horse  safely 
on  his  feet  over  the  treacherous  wet  asphalt  is 
to  either  leave  him  barefoot,  or  to  shoe  him  with 
a  rubber  pad,  which  is  a  fairly  faithful  imitation 
of  the  surface  of  his  unshod  foot.  These  rubbers 
are  acknowledged  to  be  the  only  artificial  means 
to  this  end,  yet  we  pay  four  dollars  a  pair  for 
them  when  Nature,  if  we  give  her  a  chance,  will 
provide  them  as  good  in  every  way,  gratis  ! 

When  you  shoe  in  full,  use  a  narrow  one,  thin 
at  heel  and  flat  on  the  foot  surface,  being  very 
carefully  fitted  there,  fitting  the  foot  like  a  second 
edition  of  itself.  Discard  knife  or  buttress  res- 
olutely, and  be  sure  that  the  rasp  will  remove 
all  that  needs  displacing,  and  usually  a  good  deal 
more  if  you  don't  watch  the  operator  carefully. 
This  instrument  will  shorten  the  toe,  level  the 
tread,  and  do  the  whole  work,  including  rasping 

121 


FIRST-HAND  BITS  OF  STABLE  LORE 

a  sharp  point  on.  the  clinches  so  that  they  may 
hammer  smoothly  down.  Never  permit  these 
to  be  drawn  too  hard,  and  after  they  are  turned 
down,  just  smooth  them  (not  the  foot)  over  with 
the  rasp,  thus  leaving  intact  the  delicate  covering 
of  the  foot.  Such  a  shoe  should  be  convex  on 
the  ground  surface,  and  the  big  natural  frog  assists 
this  very  narrow  protection,  which  rests  upon 
the  bars  as  intended,  and  not  upon  the  sole,  to 
provide  a  good  foothold,  and  to  minimize  the 
concussion  to  the  limit.  Indeed,  such  a  shoe  is 
quite  as  useful  as  though  sharpened  even  in  the 
frostiest  weather,  and  provides  quite  a  secure 
footing.  Bevelling  of  the  toe  should  always  cause 
the  new  shoe  to  imitate  the  shape  which  travel 
had  caused  the  old  one  to  assume,  and  we  are 
very  careless  in  not  recognizing  this  need  and 
compelling  the  horse  to  anew  stub  away  his  toe 
until  a  comfortable  angle  is  reached.  Six  nails, 
and  generally  five  are  enough  for  any  shoe,  and 
these  should  be  driven  at  a  sharp  angle  with 
the  ground  surface  so  as  to  take  a  short  hold  of 
the  horn,  and  to  come  out  as  near  the  ground 
surface  as  possible,  and  at  the  same  time  to 
cross  the  grain  of  the  horn,  over-lying  just 
enough  of  it  to  afford  the  clinches  a  nice  hold. 

122 


THE    FOOT  AND    ITS   TREATMENT 

All  nail  holes  must  grow  down  as  the  horn  grows, 
and  have  no  other  way  of  disappearing;  hence 
the  closer  they  are  to  the  ground  the  quicker 
they  grow  down  and  the  sounder  the  foot,  which 
a  number  of  different  appertures  greatly  weakens. 
For  this  reason,  also,  the  nail  holes  should  be 
well  spread  apart,  and  the  shoe  not  drawn  too 
tight ;  in  fact  it  should  always  be  easy  at  the 
heels  and  quarters,  and  so  that  daylight  is  visible 
between  horn  and  metal  there.  Pricking  and 
serious  wounds  to  the  foot  may  be  avoided  and 
proper  direction  of  the  nails  insured  if  the  .nails 
are  gently  driven  with  repeated  taps  of  the  ham- 
mer and  not  banged  home  with  a  blow  or  two  as 
if  one  were  welding  a  boiler-plate.  Owners 
should  insist  upon  this  precaution  and  leave  any 
artisan  who  will  not  take  it.  The  man  does  n't 
live  who  can  properly  and  quickly  apply  a 
shoe  by  "  cold-fitting,"  and  nothing  is  gained  by 
the  process,  any  way.  Excessive  heat  should  not 
be  allowed  in  the  shoe  about  to  be  applied,  but 
this  mistake  is  not  usual. 

Shoe  always  as  lightly  as  is  commensurate  with 
labor,  and  thus  avoid  all  needless  concussion, 
and  jar  to  feet,  legs,  and  body.  Our  efforts 
should  all  be  directed  to  preserving  the  natural 

123 


FIRST-HAND  BITS  OF  STABLE  LORE 

and  original  shape  of  the  foot  and  not  to  attempts 
to  improve  upon  what  is  already  exactly  suited  to 
the  animal's  needs.  The  blacksmith  of  to-day  is 
a  man  of  great  skill  and  intelligence,  wide  awake  to 
the  advance  of  methods  and  to  the  new  departures 
in  his  trade.  He  is  competent,  as  a  general  thing, 
to  not  only  apply  but  to  originate  patterns  suitable 
to  the  case  at  hand,  and  to-day  the  diseased  or 
irreparably  abused  foot  is  becoming  quite  uncom- 
mon—  and  to  this  end  the  daily  and  the  sporting 
press  have  worked  their  active  part.  No  details  of 
this  kind  are  too  much  trouble  for  the  owner  to  take, 
and  any  man  who  assumes  to  take  horses  under  his 
charge  and  into  his  stable  is  deficient  in  his  duty  as 
a  man,  and  as  a  master,  if  he  does  not  as  thoroughly 
insure  their  ability  to  comfortably  do  their  work 
as  he  provides  their  food  and  shelter. 

Certain  diseased  conditions  of  the  foot  necessi- 
tate special  shapes  of  shoes,  but  many  or  most  of 
them  will  be  as  quickly  relieved  by  the  methods 
given  here  as  by  more  complicated  means,  all  of 
which  are  valuable  according  to  the  faithfulness 
with  which  they  imitate  nature  and  allow  her 
processes  to  proceed  undisturbed. 


124 


Chapter    X 

THE  APPOINTMENT  FAD 

CORRECT  appointment  may,  for  want 
of  a  better  definition,  be  described  as 
a  genuine  harmony  of  all  details  and 
outlines,  quietness  of  ornamentation 
and  color,  and  appropriateness  of  animal,  vehicle, 
and  equipment  in  every  essential,  resulting  in  the 
perfection  of  good  taste,  inconspicuous  in  detail, 
yet   thoroughly  competent   for  the   purpose  in- 
tended.     Let  caprice  be  ever  so  rampant,  and 
personal  predilection  ever  so  pronounced,  he  who 
is  thus  turned  out  is  correct  beyond  dispute,  and 
when  this  fact  shall  have  been  generally  accepted, 
we  shall  arrive  at  really  intelligible  and  intelligent 
results,  and  cease  splitting  hairs  over  the  absurd 
issues  which  are  to-day  held  paramount. 

Foreigners  are  vastly  amused  at  our  laborious 
efforts  in  this  direction.  The  English  and  French 
whom  we  assume  to  imitate,  go  to  no  such  ridicu- 
lous lengths,  and,  in  fact,  save  in  the  matter  of 

125 


FIRST-HAND  BITS  OF  STABLE  LORE 

the  equipages  which  they  use  upon  state  occasions 
and  court  days,  elect  in  all  such  matters  to  indulge 
liberally  in  personal  preference  and  convenience. 
If  they,  after  centuries  of  trial,  have  reached  such 
practical  conclusions,  by  what  right  do  we  arro- 
gate to  ourselves  the  power  to  set  up  standards  in 
such  matters,  since,  seventeen  years  ago,  before 
the  inception  of  the  horse-show  as  a  public  educa- 
tor, we  few  of  us  soared  above  the  level  of  the 
carryall,  the  buggy,  and  the  chaise,  distinctively 
American  vehicles,  which  it  is  doubtful  if  we  have 
ever,  for  practical  use,  greatly  improved  upon. 

It  must  not  be  imagined  that  any  intention  ex- 
ists of  ridiculing  the  methods  by  which  we  have 
arrived  at  the  generally  attractive  ensemble  which 
nowadays  predominates ;  on  the  contrary,  there 
can  be  nothing  but  praise  for  the  amateurs  who 
have  given  so  liberally  of  both  time  and  money  to 
attain  perfection  in  such  details ;  but  this  con- 
ceded, it  can  hardly  be  denied  that  there  is  a  con- 
stant straining  for  effect  which  inevitably  prevents 
lack  of  uniformity  of  arrangements,  and  the  adop- 
tion of  any  definite  standard  of  excellence,  and 
seems  to  insure  the  arrival  at  results  but  too  often 
as  bizarre  as  unworkmanlike.  Dictatorial  selec- 
tion has  almost  completely  overridden  common- 

126 


THE   APPOINTMENT   FAD 

sense   appropriateness.      Everything  very  plain, 
and  very  neat  is  the  acme  of  good  taste. 

Of  course  one  realizes  that  we  are  passing 
through  a  curiously  abrupt  transition  stage  in 
these  matters.  So  many  more  people  "keep  a 
carriage "  than  formerly,  such  a  number  of  us 
have  become  suddenly  and  extremely  wealthy, 
and,  this  being  the  case,  desire  that  our  equipages 
shall  produce  upon  the  general  public  the  same 
feeling  of  amazement  and  gratification  which  we 
ourselves  continually  experience  in  such  contem- 
plation, believing  that  by  garish  display  such  ends 
may  be  attained. 

Among  the  most  common  of  our  failures  is  our 
curious  habit  of  keeping  horses,  carriages,  har- 
nesses, servants,  etc.,  all  (or  most)  excellent  of 
their  kind,  but,  in  their  relations  to  each  other 
total  misfits.  One  constantly  finds  pretentious 
equipages  thus  appointed :  the  smart  miniature 
brougham  drawn  by  a  pair  of  coach  horses,  and 
having  two  fat  and  heavy  servants  on  the  box  ; 
the  imposing  landau  "  turned  out "  with  a  couple 
of  slight  and  light  servants,  a  pair  of  small  and 
narrow  horses  at  the  pole  lapped  in  harness  suit- 
able for  light  phaeton  use,  or  some  huge  old  family 
brougham  similarly  appointed.  Liveries  are 

127 


FIRST-HAND  BITS  OF  STABLE  LORE 

often  most  extraordinary  in  cut,  color,  and  con- 
ception, and  too  often  of  the  "  hand-me-down " 
patterns  of  the  ready-made  establishments,  while, 
if  breeches  pass  muster,  boots  are  apt  to  be  shock- 
ing, and  to  look  as  if  James  wore  them  while 
washing  the  carriage  and  milking  the  cow.  Again 
one  sees  a  really  fine  and  perfectly  appointed  ve- 
hicle disfigured  by  the  figures  and  faces  of  the 
men  in  charge,  who  look  as  if  they  might,  either 
of  them,  fit  the  innuendo  of  the  London  'bus 
driver  in  Punch,  who  says  to  such  a  one,  "  Now, 
then,  gardener,  when  will  the  coachman  be  well 
enough  to  get  about  again  ?  "  Trim  and  present- 
able servants  are  a  most  important  detail  of  any 
establishment,  and  care  in  their  selection  is  as  im- 
portant to  the  general  effect  as  that  exercised  over 
horses,  carriages,  etc.,  and  infinitely  more  so  than 
the  quibbles  and  squabbles  we  are  constantly 
obliged  to  endure  while  learned  authorities  (?) 
ponderously  argue  over  the  location  of  the  breast- 
plate upon  the  wire  of  the  kidney-link,  and  the 
merits  of  three  rivets  (clips  outside)  on  the  hame 
tugs,  or  the  relative  propriety  of  square,  horse- 
shoe, or  D-shaped  blinkers. 

Although  seeking  to  establish  rules  for  such 
details,  yet  we  allow  our  servants  to  assume  an 

128 


THE   APPOINTMENT    FAD 

attitude  upon  the  box  suggestive  of  nothing  so 
much  as  "  the  monkey  on  a  stick "  of  "  The 
Geisha  "  fame,  as  grotesque  as  inappropriate,  as 
uncomfortable  and  unbusinesslike.  This  "cor- 
rect "  ( ?)  attitude  (and  not  a  few  of  the  masters 
have  adopted  it  themselves)  consists  in  perching 
upon  the  very  edge  of  the  cushion,  with  the  back 
much  hollowed,  knees  much  bent,  and  the  heels 
against  the  edge  of  the  seat  fall ;  a  position  calcu- 
lated apparently  to  project  the  contortionist  into 
space  if  perchance  his  gee-gee  make  a  mistake  or 
stumble.  This  posture  undoubtedly  was  origin- 
ally adopted  by  some  short  footman  or  lad  who 
could  not  otherwise  reach  the  heel-board,  and 
being  perched  upon  the  vehicle  of  some  ultra- 
smart  owner,  it  was  assumed  that  this  must  be 
the  dernier  cri  in  form,  and  forthwith  this  atti- 
tude of  compulsory  discomfort  became  the  posi- 
tion of  established  fashion.  That  any  self-respect- 
ing amateur,  however,  should  thus  make  a  show 
of  himself  is  as  senseless  as  it  is  un-American. 

Another  and  more  serious  offence  against  or- 
dinary common-sense  appropriateness  of  detail 
we  notice  when  our  carriage  pulls  up  at  the 
door  and  our  footman  must  jump  down  into  the 
mud,  snow,  or  dust,  and  amid  traffic,  run  thence 
9  129 


FIRST-HAND  BITS  OF  STABLE  LORE 

around  the  carriage  or  horses,  before  he  can  ap- 
pear at  the  door  where  we  sit ;  nor  when  in  mo- 
tion can  we  readily,  from  our  seat  on  the  right 
side,  get  at  this  servant,  who  sits  upon  the  left, 
the  place  of  all  others  where  he  is  not  wanted. 
Wherever  traffic  tends  to  the  left,  the  coachman 
sits  upon  the  right  for  the  very  excellent  reason 
that  his  seat-mate  may  then  alight  upon  the  side- 
walk, or  doorstep,  wherever  he  pulls  up,  and  be- 
cause thus  placed,  he  can  see  his  outside  wheel, 
gauge  distances,  detect  and  avail  himself  of  open- 
ings far  away  in  the  tide  of  travel  constantly 
drawing  nearer  him,  his  horses  meanwhile  winding 
smoothly  in  and  out,  never  suddenly  checked, 
sharply  turned,  or  quickly  started.  For  the  same 
identical  and  excellent  reasons  he  should,  where 
traffic  is  to  the  right  (as  in  America),  sit  upon  the 
left,  and  there  is  absolutely  no  logical  reason  for 
sitting  elsewhere.  Remember,  also,  that  as  you 
(and  your  servant)  are  constantly  hindered  in  city 
streets,  because  from  your  (and  their)  seat  on  the 
wrong  side  you  cannot  avail  yourself  of  the 
chances  offered,  you  yourself  further  obstruct 
traffic,  as  do  the  thousands  of  others  who  adhere 
to  this  utterly  unreasonable  custom. 

Originality  is  something.    It  at  least  shows  that 
130 


THE   APPOINTMENT   FAD 

one  has  given  thought  and  attention  to  the  matter 
in  hand,  and  has  an  individual  opinion ;  but 
slavish  and  unreasoning  imitation  is  less  than 
nothing,  especially  the  imitation  of  methods  and 
customs  which  have  no  reason  for  existence ; 
and  in  no  detail  of  appointment  matters  does  this 
imitation  reach  such  dangerous  and  ridiculous 
lengths  as  in  that  connected  with  the  harness,  its 
cc  trappings  and  its  strappings."  Thus,  once  up- 
on a  time,  the  punctilious  pundits  who  adjudicate 
upon  such  matters,  proclaimed  that  no  harness 
was  properly  arranged  for  use  with  a  carriage 
owned  or  driven  by  a  lady,  unless  it  included  lace 
housings,  fronts,  rosettes,  and  loin  straps ;  sub- 
sequently it  was  determined  that  such  trappings 
were  en  regie  only  when  a  servant  drove,  and 
were  a  part  of  the  full  dress  equipment  imperative 
only  where  he  was  to  take  active  part.  At  the 
Garden,  1901,  not  a  single  carriage  was  thus 
"  turned  out "  (in  the  brougham  class  for  pairs), 
and  the  only  housings  were  those  borne  by  a  pair 
which  got  fourth,  —  these  being  of  brass  curb-chain 
pattern  !  In  view  of  these  absurdities  —  for  really 
they  are  nothing  else  —  why  pay  any  attention  to 
details  ?  One  cannot  change  frequently  enough 
to  be  correct.  Judges  endorse  at  one  show  the 


FIRST-HAND  BITS  OF  STABLE  LORE 

angular  outline  of  the  high-backed  Victoria  (which 
found  such  speedy  oblivion,  thank  Fortune),  and 
at  the  next  they  insist  upon  the  graceful,  flowing 
lines  of  the  beautiful  sea-shell  pattern.  Now  for 
this,  and  again  for  that,  but  all  as  caprice  or  fancy 
dictates ;  and  never  do  the  safety  and  practical 
usefulness  of  either  carriage,  harness,  or  methods 
of  "  putting  to "  the  horses  appear  as  factors 
either  in  public  appreciation  or  show  ring  de- 
cision, while  some  of  the  requirements  are  posi- 
tively dangerous  and  unsafe.  For  example,  pole 
straps  must  never  go  around  the  collar-throats 
(nor  must  the  breast-plates),  and  yet,  otherwise, 
the  whole  weight  of  the  vehicle,  etc.,  which  may 
be  three  tons  of  coach  and  passengers,  is  stopped 
and  held  back,  by  what  ?  Why,  by  a  hames-strap 
not  half  an  inch  wide,  nor  a  quarter  of  an  inch 
thick,  confined  by  a  tiny  buckle  with  a  tongue  (on 
which  all  the  strain  may  come)  no  larger  than  a 
match  —  a  mere  bit  of  wire  —  and  bear  in  mind, 
if  this  wire  breaks,  and  the  pole  straps  are  not 
around  the  collars,  everything  goes.  So  with  the 
breast-plate,  which,  properly  (?)  appointed,  must 
work  upon  the  kidney-link  wire  only.  Of  what 
earthly  use  is  it  there  in  case  of  need?  and  how 
generally  you  find  it  so  loose  that  it  never  tightens 

132 


THE   APPOINTMENT   FAD 

even  when  horses  back,  and  yet  all  is  passed  as 
"  correct "  and  proper !  The  almost  universal 
abandonment  of  breeching  in  all  light,  and  some 
heavy,  four  and  two-wheeled  vehicles  also  affords 
its  elements  of  great  danger,  and  has,  from  the 
unaccustomed  pressure  on  the  root  of  the  tail 
caused  by  holding  back,  brought  about  many  a 
kicking  match  and  ensuing  bad  accident.  How 
consistent  we  are  in  insisting  that  the  ninety- 
pound  one-man  wagon  shall  be  provided  with 
breeching,  etc.,  while  the  one-thousand-pound 
tandem  cart,  for  instance  (carrying  possibly  four 
passengers),  would  be  regarded  as  extraordinarily 
"  out  of  line  "  were  it  so  appointed  ! 

What  utter  nonsense  is  all  this  matter  of  at- 
tempting to  draw  fine  distinctions  between  finger 
or  anchor  hame  drafts,  open  or  jointed  hame 
links,  square  or  horseshoe  buckles,  pads,  straight 
pattern  or  otherwise,  where  and  how  the  hame- 
clip-rivets  are  placed,  or  when  and  how  certain 
bearing  reins  and  bits  may  or  may  not  appear ! 

Judges  walk  out  of  the  show  ring  after  "  settling 
the  hash  "  of  all  comers  in  one  of  these  appoint- 
ment classes,  and  the  winner  bears  away  the  blue 
with  his  collar  so  short  and  narrow  he  can  hardly 
breathe,  gag-checked  so  his  backbone  creaks,  his 

133 


FIRST-HAND  BITS  OF  STABLE  LORE 

browband  so  narrow  it  cuts  his  ears,  his  blinkers 
so  close  he  cannot  see,  and  producing  uncomfort- 
able heat  about  his  eyes,  his  backstrap  so  short 
that  only  his  cramped  condition  prevents  his 
kicking  the  trap  to  pieces,  his  pad  too  narrow  in 
the  tree,  and  his  hame  tugs  gripping  his  shoulders  ; 
girthed  so  tightly  that  he  wants  to  lie  down  (and 
sometimes  does).  However,  he  has  his  rivets  and 
breastplate  all  right,  and  the  judges  receive  the 
plaudits  they  are  conscious  of  deserving.  Nor  is 
this  an  imaginary  happening.  You  may  see  it  at 
pretty  nearly  every  show  you  visit. 

The  harness  makers  and  carriage  builders  are 
sadly  hampered  in  their  undertakings  by  the  va- 
garies of  show  ring  judges  in  so  illogically  and 
so  constantly  changing  the  standard ;  for  what  is 
O.  K.  one  season  is  all  wrong  the  next.  It  is 
true  that  these  industries  frequently  venture,  upon 
their  own  accord,  into  the  realms  of  the  fantastic 
and  the  wonderful,  and  we  all  remember  some  of 
the  extraordinary  contraptions  which  have  been 
thus  evolved  and  put  upon  the  market;  harness 
as  hideous  in  detail  as  ensemble,  vehicles  telescop- 
ing or  expanding  in  all  directions,  and  providing 
everything  from  a  baby  carriage  to  an  ambulance, 
according  to  what  springs  were  pushed,  and  what 

134 


THE   APPOINTMENT   FAD 

arrangements  were  unfolded.  Such  contrivances, 
of  course,  can  never  be  seriously  considered,  but 
there  should  be  certain  standard  types  that  shall 
be  permanent,  duly  authorized  and  accepted  as 
correct.  The  associations  which  regulate  the  in- 
terests of  such  industries  have  it  in  their  power, 
by  proper  action  and  adequate  representation,  to 
accomplish  much  in  these  directions,  and  they 
should  attempt  it. 

Horse  shows  have  done  much  to  awaken  inter- 
est, and  forward  undertakings  in  these  details. 
Never  a  little  local  show  occurs  that  is  not  fol- 
lowed by  a  smartening  of  the  neighborhood 
equipages.  Even  though  evanescent  in  effect, 
the  good  seed  is  sown,  and  it  is  wonderful  to 
turn  back  seventeen  years,  to  the  time  of  our 
first  exhibition,  and  realize  how  general  has 
been  the  "  sprucing  up/'  It  is  not  so  very  long 
ago  (when  we  were  lads,  though,  dear  me,  that  is 
a  long  way  back  !),  but,  anyhow,  then  the  smartest 
thing  one  could  find  on  our  public  highways  was 
a  landau  drawn  by  a  pair  of  logy,  long-tailed 
horses,  caparisoned  with  what  is  now  the  "  com- 
mon or  garden "  depot  hack  harness  (including 
oftentimes  overdrawn  checks),  coupled  far  apart, 
so  that,  like  ancient  mariners,  "  they  looked  east, 


FIRST-HAND  BITS  OF  STABLE  LORE 

they  looked  west,"  and  engineered  by  an  aged  re- 
tainer whose  livery  was,  in  winter,  the  boss's  cast- 
off  overcoat,  and  in  summer  one  of  his  linen 
dusters,  while  those  really  inclined  to  be  devilish, 
ornamented  the  beaver  hat,  which  crowned  the 
whole,  with  a  velvet  band  and  a  silver  buckle ! 
With  his  "Galways"  fluttering  under  his  chin 
and  ears,  and  a  rein  clasped  in  each  white  cotton 
gloved  hand,  these  faded  Jehus  plodded  solemnly 
over  the  drives  and  through  the  parks,  as  thor- 
oughly convinced  that  they  were  the  "  correct 
thing "  as  were  their  complaisant  employers. 
These  equipages,  while  they  would  hardly  fill  the 
bill  from  latter-day  standpoints,  were  thoroughly 
American,  generally  useful  and  distinctly  individ- 
ual, as  were  the  old-time  carryalls,  chaises,  and 
buggies  which  have  never,  for  real  comfort  and 
convenience,  been  improved  upon.  Were  James 
still  in  the  flesh,  and  were  the  old  bays  yet  jog- 
ging about,  think  how  easy  it  would  be  to  find 
them  in  line  after  the  opera ;  James's  flamboyant 
whiskers  giving  off  their  seolian  melodies,  and 
the  bays,  as  handy  as  a  yoke  of  oxen,  monopo- 
lizing the  whole  street !  As  it  is,  Jones,  Brown, 
and  Robinson  are  in  dire  distress  to  pick  out 
the  family  outfit,  so  dismally  alike  do  they  all 

136 


THE   APPOINTMENT   FAD 

appear,  and  unless  Jones  has  had  the  nerve  to 
ornament  his  blinkers  with  a  crest  (which  prob- 
ably does  not  belong  to  him),  he  is  only 
kept  out  of  Brown's  brougham  by  the  positive 
refusal  of  Brown's  footman  to  allow  him  to 
enter. 

There  are  certain  native  vehicles,  and  various 
arrangements  of  harness,  etc.,  which  are  distinc- 
tively American,  and  light,  comfortable,  and  con- 
venient, but  these  are  relegated  mostly  to  country 
and  seashore  use  where  "it  really  makes  no  dif- 
ference." Surely  we  might  be  more  independent, 
more  patriotic,  and  less  imitative  of  the  methods, 
manners,  and  management  of  other  countries. 
Because  a  certain  thing  is  English  or  French, 
does  not  necessarily  prove  it  either  correct  or  ap- 
propriate for  our  needs.  American  carriages, 
harnesses,  etc.,  on  distinctly  national  models,  are 
making  huge  advances  in  Great  Britain  and 
all  foreign  countries,  because  our  styles  are 
light,  durable,  practical,  and  sensible.  Can  we 
not  appreciate  our  own  blessings,  and  like- 
wise endorse  native  enterprises,  without  supinely 
(and  often  mistakenly)  trying  to  imitate  alien 
fashions  ? 

New  carriages  from  the  best  builders  run  in 
137 


FIRST-HAND  BITS  OF  STABLE  LORE 

price  about  as  follows:  brougham,  $1,200  to 
$1,500;  Victoria,  $800  to  $1,200;  runabout, 
$300  to  $450;  gig,  $450  to  $600;  coach, 
$2,200  to  $2,700;  hansom,  $1,000  to  $1,200; 
spider,  stanhope,  or  demi-mail  phaeton,  $800 
to  $1,200;  carryall,  or  depot  wagon,  $250  to 
$600.  Excellent  vehicles  may,  however,  be 
obtained  from  builders  of  lesser  note  for  fully 
thirty  per  cent  less.  Second-hand  carriages  in 
good  repair  will  average  about  one  quarter  the 
price  they  bring  new,  and  many  capital  bargains 
may  be  obtained  by  visiting  the  auction  rooms, 
taking  care  to  buy  closed  vehicles  in  the  spring, 
and  open  in  the  fall,  for  the  reason  that  the 
opposite  condition  of  the  seasons  makes  them 
cheapest  then. 

Harnesses  average  about  like  the  appended 
figures:  brougham  single,  $150,  double,  $300; 
hansom,  $80;  four-in-hand  (park),  $400;  road, 
$175;  runabout,  $85;  tandem,  $200;  road 
harness,  $35  to  $150;  all  these  prices  vary- 
ing according  to  the  maker's  reputation,  to  the 
mounting  (whether  brass  or  silver),  and  to  the 
extra  ornamentation  and  finish.  Second  hand 
they  bring  prices  according  to  condition,  but 
averaging  about  thirty  per  cent  of  the  original 

138 


THE   APPOINTMENT    FAD 

cost.  Excellent  plain  new  harnesses  may  be  had 
at  $50  single,  and  $125  double,  and  road  harnesses 
at  $25 ;  all  good  purchases,  and  as  durable, 
practically,  as  any,  but  not  quite  so  finely 
finished. 


139 


Chapter    XI 

THE   SADDLE-HORSE 

WHILE  the  comparatively  recent  in- 
terest in  all  outdoor  exercises  has 
given  renewed  impetus  to  the  glo- 
rious pastime  of  riding,  and   while 
fashion  originally  conferred  upon  it  the  seal  of 
approval  because  it  was   English,   and    therefore 
proper,  no  nation  has  from  necessity  been  more 
generally  a  user  of  saddle  animals  than  Americans. 
From  the  early  days  of  settlement,  the  pacer  of 
the  Providence  Plantations   and  the  more  or  less 
thoroughly  "gaited"  horse  of  other  sections  were 
the  regular  means  of  locomotion  throughout  all 
our  great  country,  until  gradual  civilization  and 
adequate    road   provision    made    possible    traffic 
upon  wheels. 

Just  in  proportion  as  the  possibility  of  vehicu- 
lar transportation  increased,  the  care  for,  and  the 
attention  to,  the  saddle  beast  decreased,  until  the 
advent  of  railroads  and  decently  kept  highways 

140 


THE   SADDLE-HORSE 

and  "  pikes  "  produced  among  our  hustling  citi- 
zens the  rush,  hurry,  and  drive  which  left  neither 
time  nor  inclination  for  the  pursuit  of  equestri- 
anism as  an  enjoyment,  and,  as  fast  as  settlements 
became  established,  saddle-horses  gave  way  to 
wheels,  double  impetus  being  given  to  this  move- 
ment from  the  very  beginning,  through  the  fact 
that  our  ingenious  mechanics  at  once  produced  a 
vehicle  which  for  easy  riding  qualities,  for  strength, 
and  for  ease  of  draft  has  never  been  excelled  even 
unto  this  day  —  the  old-fashioned,  leather-hung 
chaise  of  our  boyhood's  days  (and  long  before). 

In  certain  districts  of  the  South  and  West  the 
mild  climate,  and  the  imperfect  condition  of  the 
roads  at  certain  seasons  of  the  year,  rendered  the  use 
of  the  saddle-horse  a  necessity,  and  all  children 
must  ride  perforce,  as  soon  as  able  to  get  about 
alone.  This  bred  a  love  for  such  exercise  in  these 
sections,  and  as  society  drew  into  closer  connec- 
tion, the  class  of  horses  bred,  and  their  thorough 
education,  became  a  matter  of  great  local  pride 
and  intense  rivalry.  Even  these  sections,  how- 
ever, while  they  produce  and  market  many  of  the 
best  saddle-horses  seen,  have  ceased  to  really  use 
them  in  a  general  and  matter-of-course  way,  so 
that  go  where  you  will,  you  find  wheels  in  use  in 

141 


FIRST-HAND  BITS  OF  STABLE  LORE 

every  place  where  they  are  possible,  and  in  many 
localities  where  they  would  seem  impossible ;  the 
plain  fact  being  that  Americans,  as  a  race,  are  not 
enthusiastic  sportsmen,  and  care  little  for  outdoor 
exercise  for  recreation's  sake.  This  is  of  course 
the  thoroughly  natural  result  of  inheritance,  en- 
vironment, and  tradition.  Our  children's  chil- 
dren, the  descendants  of  all  our  latter-day  polo 
players,  huntsmen,  golfers,  riders,  drivers,  yachts- 
men, etc.,  may  logically  and  probably  prove  the 
most  thorough  and  genuine  sportsmen  in  the 
world,  but  we  are,  most  of  us,  too  near  as  yet  to 
the  counter,  the  desk,  the  office,  the  plough,  pick, 
and  shovel  of  hard-working,  frugal,  determined 
ancestors,  whose  pleasure  was  work,  whose  relax- 
ation was  preparing  for  more  work,  and  whose 
enthusiasm  was  all  for  the  mighty  dollar,  its  ac- 
quirement, its  husbandry,  and  its  augmentation. 

What  the  Narragansett  pacer  was  to  the  Provi- 
dence Plantations,  was  imp.  Diomed  and  his  de- 
scendants to  the  Middle,  the  middle  Southern,  and 
the  middle  Western  States ;  but  the  ambling  pal- 
freys of  those  days  would  find  but  little  favor  in 
modern  eyes,  either  in  gaits  or  appearance.  The 
thoroughbred  —  the  pure  blood  —  was  but  little 
used  for  riding,  although  his  more  or  less  direct 

142 


THE   SADDLE-HORSE 

descendants  were  much  appreciated,  and,  owing 
largely  to  the  long  journeys  and  the  usually 
wretched  roads,  necessity  and  native  ingenuity 
quickly  set  about  methods  to  increase  the  ease 
to  the  rider,  and  furnish  to  him,  and  his  not 
infrequent  female  companion  en  croupe,  an  easy 
gliding  gait  which  should  neither  discommode 
the  lady,  nor  fracture  the  eggs  and  bottles  which 
were  a  not  infrequent  part  of  the  cargo. 

The  slow  amble,  or  pace  (most  easily  taught  to 
animals  of  the  proper  conformation)  was  in  gen- 
eral use,  and  even  in  those  early  times  the  hob- 
bles were  used  for  purposes  of  education,  and 
the  legs  tied  together  laterally  until  the  "side- 
wheeling"  motion  had  been  acquired.  This  pace 
it  was  found  was  transmissible,  and  horses  of  a 
certain  shape  either  possessed  the  gait  from  birth 
or  readily  acquired  and  easily  performed  it.  From 
this  beginning  followed,  at  brief  intervals,  the  de- 
velopment of  the  single-foot,  or  rack,  the  fox- 
trot, and  the  running-walk,  but  just  in  what  order 
no  man  knoweth. 

While  the  gaited  saddle-horse  —  the  five  gaited 
beast  —  of  the  West  and  South  is  upheld  by  his 
admirers  as  the  only  properly  educated  "  saddler  " 
(an  excellent,  expressive,  thoroughly  American 


FIRST-HAND  BITS  OF  STABLE  LORE 

and  necessary  word),  he  has  found  but  limited 
favor  in  the  East,  and  none  at  all  in  foreign  coun- 
tries except  in  Cuba  and  Mexico.  The  reasons 
for  this  are  plain  and  logical ;  simply  that  the 
saddle-horse  is  used  for  separate  purposes  in  the 
two  localities,  and  that  his  adherents  in  the  West, 
and  his  detractors  in  the  East,  are,  from  their  point 
of  view,  both  right.  Your  easterner  rides  gener- 
ally for  exercise,  and  for  the  deliberate  and  sole 
purpose  of  jolting  up  that  sluggish  liver,  or  les- 
sening the  pressure  upon  that  bulging  waistcoat ; 
he  is  also  generally  an  individual  of  limited  leisure 
and  to  him  the  trotting  hack  presents  the  quickest 
means  of  attaining  his  end ;  moreover,  all  his  tra- 
ditions and  associations  are  with  the  English  style. 
Your  westerner,  generally  a  man  of  spare  habit, 
finds  his  pleasure  in  the  gliding  motion,  the  nim- 
bleness  and  the  ease  of  the  gaited  horse,  and  his 
theories  and  environment  blind  him  to  the  fact 
that  he  is  compelling  his  animal  to  pursue  his 
course  at  artificial  paces,  usually  of  the  most  tiring 
description,  the  rack  —  the  favorite  pace  —  being 
most  severe  and  exhausting,  since  to  properly  per- 
form it  the  animal  must  go  well  up  to  his  (curb) 
bit,  must  bend  himself  thoroughly,  and  must  use 
hocks  and  knees  as  well  as  shoulders  and  stifles. 

144 


THE   SADDLE-HORSE 

The  running-walk  and  the  fox-trot  are  easier 
for  the  horse,  and  are  most  comfortable  all-day 
gaits  for  the  rider;  but  when  all  is  said  and  done 
these  gaits  are  absolutely  artificial,  and  most  un- 
natural to  one's  four-footed  partner,  as  proved  by 
the  fact  that  no  loose  horse  ever  employs  them, 
and  every  animal  unless  kept  constantly  collected 
and  made  to  differentiate  them,  will  so  run  one  into 
the  other,  and  so  scuffle  and  shuffle  in  his  efforts  to 
ease  himself  that  all  clearness  is  destroyed,  and  none 
can  tell  where  one  begins  and  the  other  ceases. 

Although  a  "saddle-horse  register"  has  been 
started,  and  although  the  advocates  of  this  variety 
of  horse  have  made  and  are  making  persistent 
efforts  to  persuade  the  public  of  the  vast  merits 
of  their  commodities,  the  demand  for  gaited 
horses  steadily  decreases  in  the  markets  of  the 
world.  The  walk-trot-canter  horse  is  the  one  the 
public  wants. 

If  one  uses  it  regularly,  and  was  brought  up  to 
(and  on)  it,  the  square  trot  is  the  easiest  for  man 
and  horse,  the  most  natural,  and  the  most  sen- 
sible, whether  for  long  distance  or  short,  for  close 
seat  or  "  posting  "  (that  is,  rising  in  the  stirrups). 
Nearly  all  over  the  world  this  is  the  standard 
gait,  and  it  is  no  more  tiresome  than  any  other, 

145 


FIRST-HAND  BITS  OF  STABLE  LORE 

once  the  equestrian  passes  the  novice  stage.  The 
cowboy  trots  his  pony  as  persistently  as  the  park 
rider  his  hack,  and  the  two  opposite  styles  of 
seats  and  saddles  prove  equally  adaptable ;  in  fact, 
the  trot  is  the  regular  plains  gait  for  long  distances. 

The  walk  is  the  most  neglected  pace  the  horse 
pursues,  and  few,  indeed,  are  the  animals  that  can 
perform  it  fairly,  squarely,  flat-footed,  fast,  and 
free.  The  hardest  horse  to  beat  in  the  show 
ring  is  he  who  comes  striding  in  one,  two,  three, 
four,  hind  feet  under  girth,  head  nodding,  quar- 
ters, shoulders,  knees,  and  stifles  all  at  work ; 
and,  whatever  his  faults,  he  is  the  one  his  owner 
parts  with  most  reluctantly,  and  regrets  perpetu- 
ally. Occasional  prizes  have  been  given  at  our 
shows  for  walking,  but,  because  they  have  not 
been  especially  exciting  and  attractive  to  the 
crowd,  they  have  been  generally  abandoned.  By 
all  means  possible,  however,  should  proficiency 
be  encouraged,  not  only  for  the  amount  of  pleas- 
ure obtained,  but  through  mercy  for  the  horse, 
for  none  is  so  perpetually  overworked,  so  regu- 
larly over-urged,  as  the  slow,  plodding,  awkward 
walker,  rarely  allowed  to  pursue  the  pace  because 
he  does  it  so  badly. 

The  canter  is  rarely  properly  performed,  and 
146 


THE   SADDLE-HORSE 

i 

one  sees  constantly  winners  in  show-rings  which 

have  not  really  and  properly  cantered  a  yard, 
their  nearest  approach  to  that  feat  being  a  more 
or  less  slow  gallop,  in  which  they  change  their 
lead  (if  indeed  they  do  change)  by  cc  main  strength 
and  stupidity,"  and  not  because  they  are  properly 
educated  or  really  proficient.  Changing  the  lead- 
ing leg  in  cantering  cc  figure  eights  "  is  not  enough 
proof  of  a  really  trained  "  saddler."  Any  horse, 
which  is  supposed  to  be  A  i,  should  change  his 
lead  at  his  rider's  will  in  straight  going;  do  it 
properly  and  cheerfully,  with  hind  legs  well 
under,  face  perpendicular,  balance  perfect,  mouth 
light,  and  cadence  exact.  The  collected  canter  is 
very  trying,  and  if  one  lead  is  regularly  used,  the 
hind  leg  of  that  side  is  sure  to  finally  go  wrong  in 
the  hock,  or  at  other  weak  points. 

Horses  are  imitative  to  a  wonderful  degree, 
and  a  youngster  can  have  no  worse  mentor  than 
a  calm,  sluggish  "  old  un,"  which  saunters  along 
at  all  paces,  and  is  never  in  a  hurry ;  while  the 
elder's  improvement  can  only  be  accomplished  by 
most  diligent  forcing  into  his  bridle,  riding  him 
every  yard  by  knee,  calf,  spur,  and  voice,  literally 
"making  him  over  again"  if  the  job  is  not  aban- 
doned in  disgust  before  completion. 

147 


FIRST-HAND  BITS  OF  STABLE  LORE 

The  pace  of  the  saddle-horse  at  the  trot  can 
rarely  be  improved.  His  method  may  be  vastly 
bettered,  of  course,  but  the  pace  at  which  he  can 
go  squarely,  without  hitch  or  skip,  is  pretty  accu- 
rately measured  out  to  him  at  birth,  and,  beyond 
doing  his  work  in  proper  form,  little  improve- 
ment can  be  made.  The  canter,  being  strictly  an 
artificial  pace,  may,  and  should  be  in  every  case, 
perfected  to  the  last  degree.  Proper  bitting,  sup- 
pling, frequent  changing  of  direction,  riding  in 
small  circles  and  figure  eights,  backing,  "passag- 
ing," and  the  use  of  the  pirouette,  and  the  pirou- 
ette renverse  in  a  crude  form,  are  all  necessary 
elements  of  education. 

What  a,  b,  c,  is  to  erudition,  what  ignorance 
is  to  knowledge,  what  crudity  is  to  perfection,  is 
ordinary  horsemanship  to  la  haute  £coley  and  it  is 
inconceivable  that  horsemen,  amateur  and  profes- 
sional, should  ignorantly  sneer  at  this  most  deli- 
cate and  most  essential  art ;  the  plain  truth  being 
that  but  very  few  have  the  intelligence  or  the 
ability  to  learn  or  to.  apply  it.  What  calis- 
thenics are  to  the  imperfect  man,  are  these  gym- 
nastic exercises  to  the  improperly  developed  horse, 
and  that  is  the  substance  of  the  whole  thing. 

Writers  and  teachers  of  this  art  have  purposely 
148 


THE   SADDLE-HORSE 

so  hedged  about  their  explanations  ( ?)  with  verbi- 
age and  mystery  that  the  public  have  come  to 
regard  it  as  either  a  stupendous  task,  or  a  mere 
circus  performance,  than  which  nothing  can  be 
farther  from  the  truth.  The  "high  school" 
horse  of  circus  and  western  production,  which 
does  a  few  "jig"  and  march  steps  under  the 
powerful  administration  of  curb-bit,  spur,  and 
whip,  is  as  much  like  an  adept  at  la  haute  ecole> 
as  a  grub  is  like  a  butterfly.  We  have  never  had 
ten  thoroughly  educated  high-school  horses  in 
this  country,  nor  six  men  who  were  capable  either 
of  training  them,  or  of  imparting  their  knowledge 
to  others. 

In  all  forms  of  riding  is  this  art  most  essential, 
and  he  who  has  it  will  turn  a  polo  pony  quicker, 
will  hand  a  hunter  over  an  "  inthricate  lep"  more 
successfully,  will  get  the  last  ounce  out  of  a 
"  chaser,"  will  skim  the  rails  closer  in  a  race,  than 
his  more  ignorant  confrere,  and  the  rudiments  of 
it  should  be  imparted  (as  they  easily  are)  to  any 
beast  used  under  the  saddle.  The  proper  signals, 
the  proper  aids  in  equestrianism  are  so  absolutely 
a  matter  of  plain  common-sense,  and  so  generally 
misunderstood  or  neglected,  that  it  is  a  marvel 
that  the  most  polite  of  animals  does  not  rid  him- 

149 


FIRST-HAND  BITS  OF  STABLE  LORE 

self  of  his  intolerable  burden  oftener  than  he  does. 
Stand  at  the  entrance  to  the  park  any  day,  and 
you  can  see  nine  hacks  out  of  ten  turn  the  corner 
wrong  foot  first ;  start  to  trot,  or  (especially)  to 
canter  at  signals  from  those  on  their  poor  old 
ridgepoles  which  mean  exactly  opposite  to  what 
they  say,  and  which  those  patient  heads  and 
anxious  hearts  have,  after  vast  effort  (and  many 
failures),  learned  to  interpret  backward,  so  to 
speak ;  figuring  out  that  a  touch  of  the  right  heel 
(or  a  jab  of  the  right  spur)  means  "lead  right" 
(not  left,  as  nature  diagonally  intended) ;  that  a 
jab  in  the  mouth  and  a  stroke  on  the  off-shoulder 
means  "  canter "  if  a  lady  is  on  board ;  that  the 
left  rein  pulled  across  the  neck  means  go  to  the 
right ;  that  the  fact  that  one's  rider  pulls  the  right 
rein,  and  signals  to  one's  hind  quarters  to  go  the 
same  way,  must  be  disregarded  as  to  the  latter 
intimation;  "whoa"  sometimes  means  stand 
perfectly  still,  and  then  again  it  does  n't ;  while 
"  c'lk,  c'lk  "  may  mean  go  very  fast,  or  walk  a  little 
quicker,  but  which,  one  can't  tell  until  one  tries. 

That  our  saddle-horses  are  not  as  a  rule  more 
perfect  in  training  and  manners  is  due  chiefly  to 
that  impatience,  that  eagerness  for  results,  how- 
ever imperfect,  which  is  so  thoroughly  a  part  of 

150 


THE   SADDLE-HORSE 

the  American  character.  Much  time,  patience, 
and  money  must  be  expended  upon  the  animal  to 
make  him  as  perfect  in  his  work  as  he  should  be, 
and  for  this  scientific  labor  the  buying  public  are 
not  willing  to  pay  prices  fairly  remunerative  to 
trainers. 

Again,  the  average  American  equestrian  is  not 
himself  sufficiently  proficient  to  ride  a  really 
highly  educated  horse,  as  his  impulsive  nature 
will  not  allow  him  to  expend  the  time  or  money 
necessary  for  competent  instruction,  and  its  ac- 
companying adequate  practice.  As  a  consequence 
his  seat  is  generally  insecure,  his  hands  of  course 
of  the  worst ;  while  of  the  proper  aids  to  the  art 
he  has  not  the  faintest  conception,  and  further- 
more generally  takes  vast  pride  in  his  ignorance. 

Hands  —  that  delicacy  and  pliability  of  touch 
which  is  so  necessary  for  the  proper  performance 
of  all  equestrian  evolutions,  are  absolutely  depen- 
dent upon  a  secure  and  elastic,  properly  balanced 
seat,  and  to  this  there  is  no  royal  road  but  that 
of  constant  rehearsal  under  competent  supervision. 
The  riding  schools  will  teach  any  one  to  "  remain  " 
upon  a  steady  old  school  slave  in  a  course  of  from 
fifteen  to  thirty  lessons,  and  with  this  the  average 
citizen  is  satisfied. 


FIRST-HAND  BITS  OF  STABLE  LORE 

If  you  must  buy  a  horse  for  saddle  use  on  one 
qualification  only,  be  sure  he  moves  his  hocks 
well,  and  "goes  off  them  "  as  the  dealers  say.  A 
good  deep  slanting  shoulder  is  valuable ;  a  well 
set  head,  and  a  long  neck  that  "  bridles,"  that  is, 
bends  well,  is  an  advantage  ;  a  strong  loin  and 
back,  and  well-sprung  ribs  a  blessing ;  good  open 
feet,  and  broad,  flat  bone,  with  no  "  dishing  "  or 
cc  toeing  out,"  a  requisite  ;  but  when  all  is  pos- 
sessed (and  said  and  done)  if  the  animal  does  not 
"  bend  his  hocks  "  he  will  never  give  you  a  really 
good  and  comfortable  ride  ;  will  lose  his  action  and 
elasticity  with  fatigue ;  will  tire  to  death  in  deep 
going,  and  will  prove  the  failure  that  any  machine 
must  be  when  defective  in  its  most  important 
(and  least  considered)  detail. 

Be  sure  your  bridle  and  saddle  fit,  and  are 
properly  put  on.  The  universally  used  double 
bridle  is  too  frequently  short  in  brow  band,  mak- 
ing it  lie  uncomfortably  about  the  thin  skin  at  the 
ears  ;  the  bridoon  is  generally  placed  three  to  five 
holes  too  high,  and  the  rings  are  far  too  small, 
the  bit  too  thin  and  narrow.  What  is  called  a 
"  Dexter  snaffle  "  makes  the  best  possible  bridoon 
bit.  If  the  bridoon  is  too  high,  the  curb-bit  is  as 
universally  too  low,  the  port  too  frequently  pres- 

152 


THE   SADDLE-HORSE 

ent,  the  arms  too  long.  Look  at  the  tender  skin 
on  which  these  weapons  must  rest ;  oh,  reader ! 
figure  to  yourself  the  agony  easily  inflicted,  and 
buy  the  largest,  easiest  bits  you  can  find,  seeing 
that  they  lie  always  well  below  the  angles  of  your 
patient  servant's  mouth.  The  saddle,  well  pad- 
ded everywhere,  should  be  well  clear  of  the 
shoulder  blades,  and,  if  you  are  a  heavy  man,  be 
sure  your  tree  is  long  and  wide,  that  the  pressure 
may  be  well  distributed.  If  a  woman,  a  thick 
felt,  girthed  separately  about  the  horse,  will  afford 
a  surface  for  your  saddle  to  move  on,  while  the 
affixing  of  your  stirrup-strap  to  a  billet  on  the 
off-can  tie  (after  going  around  the  body)  will  re- 
duce all  shifting  and  consequent  chafing  to  a 
minimum. 

If  you  will  remember,  after  you  have  been  out 
about  thirty  minutes,  to  have  your  girths  tight- 
ened one  or  two  holes,  you  will  do  well  by  your 
beast,  and  save  a  possible  fall.  Upon  return,  if 
saddles  are  left  on  for  a  while,  the  girths  should 
be  tightened  to  compensate  for  the  weight  re- 
moved, not  loosened  as  is  the  custom ;  but  if 
plenty  of  cold  water  is  well  applied  the  pores  of 
the  skin  "will  be  closed,  no  injury  or  swelling 
result,  and  the  saddle  may  be  removed  at  once. 

153 


FIRST-HAND  BITS  OF  STABLE  LORE 

The  bending,  suppling,  and  mouthing  of  the 
horse  need  only  patience  and  common-sense. 
The  horse  must  yield  every  time,  not  you,  and 
if  you  make  a  mistake  and  give  before  he  does, 
you  will  have  much  to  do  to  repair  your  error. 
Caress  always  that  part  that  yields  (or  that  per- 
forms) :  the  jaw,  the  neck,  the  shoulders,  the 
croup,  with  whatever  he  accomplishes  your  wish  ; 
reward  that  part  immediately  by  caress  (never 
word).  As  a  clever  teacher  once  said  to  his 
pupil,  "  If  your  little  boy  pleases  you,  do  you 
kiss  your  little  girl  ?  "  and  that  is  the  whole  thing 
in  a  sentence,  the  secret  of  Baucher,  the  essence 
of  equestrianism,  which,  if  you  regularly  practise 
and  believe,  simplifies  everything  about  horse- 
manship. 

When  the  jaw,  neck,  etc.,  yield  easily  and  pli- 
antly  at  a  stand,  proceed  at  a  walk  straight,  in 
circles,  figure  eights,  etc.,  and  at  the  passage  both 
right  and  left,  always  returning  to  the  halt  if  the 
animal  gets  out  of  hand,  always  beginning  and 
ending  the  ride  with  a  moment  or  two  of  station- 
ary bitting.  The  same  manoeuvres  at  trot  and 
canter  naturally  follow,  and  form  the  last  stages 
of  the  training  of  the  average  hack. 

Never   tire  the  horse ;    two    lessons  of  thirty 


THE    SADDLE-HORSE 

minutes  each  are  much  better  than  one  of  an 
hour,  although  occasionally  a  sulky  or  wilful 
pupil  may  keep  you  even  two  hours.  Never 
punish  without  a  reason  that  satisfies  yourself, 
and  always  punish  the  part  that  has  proved  recal- 
citrant. 

Remember  that  a  horse  has  two  ends,  and  that 
it  is  essential  to  proper  locomotion  that  both 
front  and  rear  should  be  signalled  to,  guided,  and 
always  under  proper  control.  Two  methods  of 
advance  are  possible,  the  diagonal  and  the  lateral. 
For  instance,  the  horse  may  lead  in  the  canter 
with  his  right  leg,  but  to  do  this  his  croup  must 
first  go  to  the  right  (of  his  own  volition,  or  at  the 
intimation  of  your  left  leg).  He  cannot  canter  in 
any  other  position,  and  your  training  him,  and 
explaining  to  him  what  your  leg,  spur,  or  heel 
may  mean,  renders  it  impossible  for  him  to  do 
other  than  to  perform  your  bidding  properly  and 
promptly,  changing  the  lead  by  a  reversal  of  sig- 
nals. A  horse  in  training,  and  afterward,  must 
be  "  ridden"  every  step.  No  partnership  is  pos- 
sible ;  he  will  do  it  his  way  if  you  are  not  master 
(and  he  "sizes  you  up"  in  a  moment).  He  is 
kept  up  to  his  bit,  made  to  bend,  made  to  yield 
by  constant,  almost  unconscious  signals  from  the 

155 


FIRST-HAND  BITS  OF  STABLE  LORE 

legs,  reinforced,  if  necessary,  by  occasional  appli- 
cations of  the  spur.  He  will  not  even  stand 
properly,  or  back  collectively,  unless  the  rider's 
legs  are  doing  their  part. 

If  it  is  desired  to  teach  your  horse  to  guide  by 
the  neck,  a  simple  crossing  of  the  reins  under  the 
neck,  that  a  pressure  on  one  side  may  accompany 
a  pull  on  the  opposite  of  the  mouth,  will  quickly 
promote  it ;  or  the  western  "  hack-amore,"  a 
rope  around  nose  and  through  mouth,  will  soon 
accomplish  it  roughly.  As  a  civilian,  however, 
you  have  two  hands  free,  and  will,  if  you  ride 
much,  find  ample  employment  for  both  of  them. 
There  is  no  more  reason  for  riding  with  one  hand 
than  there  is  for  always  mounting  on  the  nigh 
side,  as  a  moment's  thought  will  show  you. 

Never  speak  to  your  horse  more  than 
two  words:  "Whoa,"  and^  "C'lk;"  and  do, 
pray  do,  forget  the  latter,  or  the  exasperating 
"  P-w-e-e-e-p,"  so  often  heard,  at  least  when  in 
company.  You  have  no  right  to  ride  any  one's 
horse  but  your  own,  and  your  legs  should  suffice 
for  that.  Your  cc  Whoa  "  should  mean  but  one 
thing  —  dead  stop  —  and  be  always  quick  and 
sharp,  never  drawled.  Make  your  horse  back 
frequently,  and  never  be  satisfied  unless  he  will 


THE   SADDLE-HORSE 

do  so  freely,  promptly,  and  evenly,  keeping  him 
straight  with  leg  pressure,  and  being  sure  he  is  in 
position  to  do  so  before  the  first  step  is  asked. 
He  cannot  back  unless  he  is,  it  is  physically  im- 
possible. 

The  smaller  the  training  inclosure,  within  cer- 
tain limits,  the  quicker  will  the  animal  learn,  and 
the  handier  will  he  prove.  A  place  fifty  feet 
square  is  ample,  or  thirty  feet  wide  and  sixty 
feet  long ;  a  twenty-foot  box  stall  is  sufficient  for 
all  but  the  trot  and  canter. 

Read  all  the  books  on  equestrianism  you  can 
find,  but  sift  out  the  chaff  and  remember  that, 
given  a  few  facts  and  a  certain  amount  of  elemen- 
tary instruction,  all  depends  upon  practice,  com- 
mon-sense, and  "  horse  "  sense. 

The  hunting  man  and  the  equestrian  who 
"learned  to  ride  before  I  could  walk,  and  was 
brought  up  on  horseback  "  are  apt  to  scout  the 
idea  that  the  riding-school  affords  an  arena  where- 
in may  be  learned  anything  likely  to  further  their 
accomplishments,  scorning  the  suggestion  that 
they  are  not  perforce  competent  for  all  emergen- 
cies. The  performer  who  "  always  rode  with 
popper  from  the  time  I  was  so  high  "  is  generally 
as  arrogant  as  he  is  dense. 

157 


FIRST-HAND  BITS  OF  STABLE  LORE 

To  wander  at  disconnected  paces  round  and 
round  a  dull  brown  parallelogram  is  not,  per  se, 
wildly  exciting,  and  the  sight  of  awkward  men 
and  "  soggy  "  women  flopping  about  on  the  long- 
suffering  old  riding-school  slaves,  jagging  their 
poor  old  mouths  into  ribbons,  is  enough  to  make 
one  take,  in  horror,  to  the  bicycle.  There  are, 
however,  other  grades,  but  the  kindergarten,  in 
all  schooling,  and  if  one  really  sets  about  it,  one 
will  be  aghast  to  find  the  amount  one  does  not 
know,  and  to  learn  what  a  lenient  critic  was 
"  popper."  As  workshop  to  the  artisan,  as  class- 
room to  the  student,  as  atelier  to  the  artist,  so 
should  be  the  riding-school  to  the  equestrian  ;  a 
place  for  study,  research,  practice,  and  ultimate 
skilled  performance.  Any  man  of  fair  physical 
soundness  may,  if  he  will,  progress  far  in  this  fas- 
cinating art,  finding  daily  new  fields  of  pleasure 
opening  to  him,  and  rewarded,  not  only  by  the  ex- 
ercise afforded  and  health  obtained,  but  by  the  de- 
light found  in  gaining  mastery  over  an  animal  so 
companionable  and  so  lovable  as  the  horse. 


Chapter   XII 

THE   HUNTER   AND   HIS    EDUCATION 

THE  ancient  receipt  for  "jugging" 
hare  or  rabbit  began  with  the  rather 
useful  advice,  "  First  catch  your 
hare;"  and  an  equally  important  de- 
tail concerning  the  education  of  hunters  is  to 
first  get  your  apparently  suitable  raw  material. 
Horses  which  in  appearance  and  conformation 
are  well  worthy  of  consideration  are  passed  by, 
or  put  to  other  work,  far  more  generally  than 
one  would  suppose,  because  the  average  buyer 
has  set  up  false  idols  of  worship,  has  been  influ- 
enced, consciously  or  insensibly,  by  the  drawings 
of  Leech  and  of  Sturgis,  the  works  of  Whyte- 
Melville,  the  Badminton  books,  etc. ;  has,  in  fact, 
acquired  a  "false  eye,"  and  accepted  quite  errone- 
ous impressions  as  to  what  comprises  essential 
hunter  conformation  and  weight-carrying  ability; 
demanding  a  bulk  and  height  which  are  not  only 
absolutely  unnecessary,  but  possibly  detrimental. 

1S9 


FIRST-HAND  BITS  OF  STABLE  LORE 

A  good  weight-carrying  horse  is  an  easier  ani- 
mal to  find  than  one  would  imagine,  if  one  will 
but  abandon  the  untenable  argument  that  lofti- 
ness and  avoirdupois  have  necessarily  anything 
whatever  to  do  with  such  ability.  These  huge 
brutes  of  sixteen  hands  and  upward  have  just 
two  solitary  points  in  their  favor,  —  they  are 
more  proportionate,  if  their  bulky  riders  be  also 
very  tall,  and  they  make  the  fences  look  smaller. 
They  are  not  as  active  as  the  smaller  animal ; 
their  own  body-weight  is  generally  an  uncomfort- 
able impost,  after  hounds  really  run,  and  when 
the  ground,  —  as  seldom  is  the  case  in  America, 
because  of  the  seasons  at  which  we  hunt,  —  affords 
heavy  going;  their  size  is  generally  a  guarantee 
that,  close  up,  there  is  a  cross  of  the  coldest  kind 
of  blood ;  their  clumsiness,  normally  objection- 
able, is  overwhelming  when  exhaustion  impends, 
and  they  weigh  a  lot  when  the  worst  has  come  to 
pass,  and  you  are  trying  to  keep  them  off  your 
wish-bone !  Again  the  average  heavy  weight  is 
short  and  —  well,  plump;  and  these  tall  beasts 
are  as  insurmountable  as  a  mountain  range  when 
embarkation  is  at  hand,  and  about  as  altitudinous 
to  fall  from.  They  are,  also,  perforce,  too  thick 
through  for  a  short  and  stout  man  to  ride  com- 

160 


THE  HUNTER  AND  HIS  EDUCATION 

fortably ;  even  the  extra  length  of  stirrup- 
leather,  which  his  round  and  short  thigh  compels, 
does  not  afford  him  a  secure  prop ;  and  the 
same  arguments  hold  against  the  tall  saddle-horse 
as  against  the  hunter.  Modifications  of  these 
characteristics  are  most  essential  if  comfort  is  to 
ensue.  As  hunters  and  hacks  for  men  are  almost 
always  selected  above  the  needful  power,  so  those 
for  feminine  use  are  usually  the  exact  reverse.  If 
a  woman  walks  one  hundred  and  forty  pounds, 
she  will  ride  at  or  near  one  hundred  and  seventy 
pounds ;  yet  any  sort  of  slack-waisted,  light-tim- 
bered screw  is  chosen  for  this  job,  doubly  irk- 
some to  it  because  weight  and  balance  are  mostly 
to  one  side ;  and  this  "  crock  "  effectually  <c  wipes 
our  eyes "  by  frequently  carrying  his  burden 
safely  and  satisfactorily  for  years ;  referred  to  as  a 
mere  "  lady's  horse,"  yet  accomplishing  tasks 
that  would  be  considered  impossible  were  they 
appreciated.  How  often,  too,  you  hear  men  say, 
"  Yes,  I  sold  Honesty  ;  he  carried  me  splendidly, 
but  he  was  n't  up  to  my  weight !  "  How  curious 
that  is !  As  if  the  performance  did  not  conclu- 
sively prove  the  ability,  be  size,  make,  and  shape 
what  it  might.  The  plains  pony  of  six  hundred 
pounds  weight  carries  all  day  and  every  day, 
11  161 


FIRST-HAND  BITS  OF  STABLE  LORE 

most  of  the  time  at  a  canter  or  jog-trot,  a  two- 
hundred-pound  man,  a  fifty-pound  saddle,  blank- 
ets, "  slicker  "  rope,  pin,  etc.,  about  one-half  his 
own  body-weight,  and  this  on  grass  alone,  and  of 
that  only  what  he  can  pick  up  at  intervals ;  the 
tiny  burro  lugs  two-thirds  his  own  weight  and 
often  more ;  yet  we  demand  twelve  hundred 
pounds  of  horse,  high  fed  and  fairly  bred,  to  carry 
two  hundred  and  fifty  pounds  of  man  and  equip- 
ments for  an  hour  or  two's  gentle  ride,  or  for  a 
forty-minute  hand-gallop,  with  checks  thrown  in, 
after  hounds !  Is  there  any  reason  in  that  ? 
Surely  not,  and  in  buying  these  huge  horses 
heavy  men  are  seeking  false  types,  and  at  unnec- 
essary expense;  while  in  the  fortunate  lighter 
divisions  the  separations  into  the  different  grades 
of  carrying  ability  are  purely  arbitrary,  and  use- 
ful for  show  purposes  only.  Any  horse  that  will 
carry  one  hundred  and  sixty  pounds  properly 
will  handle  one  hundred  and  eighty  pounds 
just  as  well  during  the  brief  periods  of  use, 
especially  if  the  rider  does  what  any  thinking 
man  will,  and  slips  off  his  gallant  companion's 
back  at  every  check,  —  a  feat  which  the  tall  horse 
usually  precludes.  English  types  and  require- 
ments are  different  from  ours,  and  we  are  neg- 

162 


THE  HUNTER  AND  HIS  EDUCATION 

lecting  and  refusing  every  day  good  and  cheap 
hunters  (and  hacks)  because  of  this  erroneous 
idea  of  what  constitutes  weight-carrying  ability. 

When  all  is  argued,  the  inevitable  facts  remain, 
that  action  is  what  carries  weight;  that  wind 
is  strength;  that  rather  drooping  quarters,  and 
hocks  a  little  "  set  in,"  and  those  hocks  well 
flexed  in  action,  insure  ability  at  the  jumping 
game;  that  while  a  fine,  deep,  sloping  shoulder 
is  beautiful,  it  is  by  no  means  absolutely  essen- 
tial, not  a  few  excellent  performers  being  exactly 
differently  constructed;  that  the  short-backed, 
close-coupled,  close-ribbed  horse  not  infrequently 
has  no  "  liberty  "  to  him  ;  that  some  of  the  best 
weight-carriers  are  slack  of  loin,  long  of  back,  and 
light  of  rib  ;  that  horses  must  have  length,  at  least 
below  —  "  stand  over  "  much  ground  proportion- 
ately ;  and  that  as  our  thoroughbreds  are  gen- 
erally ruined  by  over-racing  at  two  years,  we  can 
place  but  little  dependence  upon  them,  but  must 
turn  to  the  trotting-bred  animal  for  our  recruits ; 
and  that  these  are  fast  enough,  strong  enough, 
and  more  manageable  for  the  average  equestrian. 

While  our  racing  stables  afford  but  barren 
fields  for  recruiting  the  ranks  of  our  hunters,  for 
the  reason  that,  if  good,  the  animals  of  suitable 

163 


FIRST-HAND  BITS  OF  STABLE  LORE 

age  —  three  and  upward  —  are  too  expensive,  or 
too  unsound,  to  be  desirable  ;  too  light- framed, 
or  too  crazy,  etc.,  there  are,  on  the  western 
tracks,  not  a  few  horses  running  in  cheap  selling 
races  that  are  well  worth  purchase,  and  can  be 
bought  at  suitable  figures.  There  are  also  in  the 
sales  occurring  annually  at  Lexington,  Kentucky, 
in  December,  a  lot  of  barren  brood  mares,  stallions, 
and  various  racing  misfits  and  failures,  often  very 
thin  and  out  of  condition,  but  selling  for  the 
merest  trifle,  that  are  well  worth  looking  over. 
They  run  in  price  from  $5  to  $100,  and  the 
writer  has  seen  many  rare  bargains,  for  hunting 
or  hacking,  going  for  a  trifle.  The  objection 
that  dealers  and  others  have  hitherto  had  to  the 
thoroughbred  is  that  there  has  existed  among 
buyers  an  unfounded  prejudice  against  him,  and 
one  found  great  difficulty  in  disposing  of  him 
even  "  in  the  raw."  If  orders  were  placed  with 
any  purveyor  to  secure  a  certain  number  at  a  fixed 
price  per  head,  they  to  be  of  certain  height,  etc., 
quantities  could  be  cheaply  secured.  If  the  de- 
mand exists  it  can  be  economically  supplied. 

Once  bought,  it  remains  to  teach  the  young 
idea  how  to  competently  perform  his  task,  and 
many  and  various  are  the  methods  in  use.  One 

164 


THE  HUNTER  AND  HIS  EDUCATION 

should  decide  at  the  beginning  which  style  of 
leaping  he  prefers :  the  "  flying,"  wherein  a 
horse  goes  fast  at  all  his  fences,  taking  off  a  few 
feet  away  from  them,  or  the  deliberate,  wherein 
he  goes  close  "  under  "  them  ;  "  lobbing  "  over, 
and  jumping  from  a  trot  when  occasion  serves. 
The  latter  has  always  seemed  the  best  for  every 
reason ;  horses  are  more  temperate,  they  may  be 
stopped  at  the  last  moment  if  deemed  wisest  (and 
discretion  is  as  valuable  in  hunting  as  in  other 
pursuits) ;  we  seldom  have  to  jump  anything 
with  a  ditch,  etc.,  on  the  "  take-off"  side,  and 
Morses  take  much  less  out  of  themselves.  The 
"  flying "  fencer,  on  the  contrary,  becomes  a 
"  rusher  "  under  average  handling ;  he  cannot  be 
easily  stopped  or  turned,  and  be  it  five  inches  or 
five  feet,  he  goes  at  it  thirty  miles  an  hour,  taking 
just  that  much  more  useless  exertion.  If  this  is 
the  "  sort "  desired,  it  is  only  necessary  to  have  a 
"  rail "  or  a  little  "  gripe  "  a  short  distance  in 
front  of  every  schooling  fence,  and  to  let  him  go 
along  at  them  ;  he  will  quickly  learn  to  "  stand 
away "  from  everything,  and  swing  over  a  fair 
space  of  ground  on  both  sides.  The  concluding 
objection,  and  a  very  strong  one  it  is,  to  the 
"  flying  "  leaper  is  that  while  you  may  at  any 


FIRST-HAND  BITS  OF  STABLE  LORE 

time  hurry  your  deliberate  horse  and  make  a 
"  flyer  "  of  him,  it  takes  much  patience  and  a 
good  man  to  restrain  your  impetuous  friend  to 
other  methods,  and  make  of  him  the  calm  and 
collected  patent-safety  conveyance  which  we  all 
prefer. 

The  writer's  own  methods  of  schooling,  applied 
to  hundreds  of  horses,  and  always  satisfactorily, 
save  in  a  few  cases  of  broken  legs  and  necks 
which  could  not  be  prevented  if  education  was  to 
progress  (the  risks  being  fair  for  both  because 
they  were  mutual),  were  always  to  get  on  a  horse, 
and  take  him  out  jumping,  with  hounds  if  pos- 
sible, but  anyhow  never  to  let  the  pupil  imagine 
for  a  moment  that  the  excursion  was  a  task,  but 
to  understand  that  he  was  only  doing  what  he 
saw  other  horses  do ;  going  where  they  went,  and 
always  on  the  way  to  some  place.  Thus  it  was 
the  custom,  after  the  horse  had  been  kept  a  few 
days  at  the  stable,  and  ridden  about  the  roads  so 
that  he  had  a  general  idea  where  home  was  (the  place 
where  he  always  was  cared  for),  to  start  off  with  a 
boy  on  a  "  made  "  jumper,  ride  away  into  the 
country  a  few  miles,  turn  into  somebody's  field  or 
woodlands,  and  ride  across  country  toward  home, 
taking  what  chance  might  bring.  The  steady  horse 

166 


THE  HUNTER  AND  HIS  EDUCATION 

jumped  first  (and  he  must  be  a  "  flippant "  fencer 
that  will  not  refuse  or  swerve ;  preferably  one 
that  the  pupil  has  accompanied  about  the  roads, 
and  stands  next  to  in  the  stable).  With  him  well 
over  (and  waiting)  it  was  "  up  to  "  you  who  had 
been  several  lengths  back,  that  your  mount  might 
catch  the  idea  and  see  how  the  other  horse  per- 
formed (for  no  horse  but  a  steeplechaser  learns 
anything  from  schooling  beside,  or  close  to,  an- 
other). The  novice  of  course  is  equipped  with  a 
plain,  large  snaffle,  or  some  of  the  combinations 
of  such  a  bit  according  to  necessities  ;  no  "  double- 
bridle  "  should  ever  be  used  at  such  work  ;  acci- 
dent may  catch  the  curb-rein,  or  you  may 
unintentionally  hold  it  too  short,  or  accidentally 
hang  on  by  it,  and  give  your  tyro  a  jab  in  the 
mouth  that  he  never  forgets  and  always  associates 
with  the  proximity  of  a  fence,  spoiling  him  at  once, 
possibly.  Now,  do,  f  lease ^  leave  at  home  all 
theories  as  to  "  how  to  do  it,"  and  to  "  assist "  your 
horse;  remember  this  is  his  business,  and  you  mind 
your  owny  which  is  simply  to  remain  on  board  until 
the  worst  comes.  When  close  up,  urge  him 
gently  to  a  trot — he  can  judge  height  better 
thus  —  and  leave  him  alone  to  leap,  scramble,  or 
fall  as  best  he  can.  If  he  refuses,  as  he  rarely 


FIRST-HAND  BITS  OF  STABLE  LORE 

will  if  "  between  your  legs  "  as  he  should  be,  just  try 
again,  and  let  him  see  now  that  his  comrade  on  the 
other  side  is  walking  away  from  him .  N  ever  speak 
to  him,  and,  above  all,  do  not  clap  him  on  neck  or 
shoulder  to  reassure  him  ;  reward  follows  only  per- 
formance. Now,  somehow  or  other,  he  is  over 
the  obstacle  (of  course  you  are  only  asking  for 
about  three  feet).  This  is  your  time  for  caress, 
and  as  you  refrained  before,  accord  it  now.  Jump 
off  and  make  much  of  him  at  once,  and  bring 
the  other  horse  back  to  him.  How  has  he  per- 
formed the  feat?  His  brain  has  figured  out  that 
he  must  use  his  hind-quarters.  He  has  done  it, 
and  immediately  is  with  his  friend.  The  points 
for  caressing  are  the  brain,  the  hind-quarters,  and 
loin,  and  don  'tfor  one  moment  imagine  that  he  does  rf  t 
understand.  Never  caress  him  if  he  falls  or 
bungles ;  he  reached  his  companion,  which  is 
what  he  was  trying  to  do,  and  the  fall  was  an  acci- 
dent, but  the  first  time  he  lands  clear,  do  your 
duty,  and  forthwith  he  is  half-schooled.  "  Now 
I  see,"  he  says  to  himself;  "  this  curious  creature 
who  has  always  dominated  and  cared  for  me,  ex- 
pects me  to  get  clean  over  these  things,  and,  as  I 
bruise  my  shins  if  I  don't,  and  get  petted  if  I  do, 
I  '11  do  my  best  to  save  myself  pain,  and  give  him 

168 


THE  HUNTER  AND  HIS  EDUCATION 

returns  for  his  kindness."  After  this  experience 
he  finds  that  he  duly  reaches  home,  to  which  the 
only  apparent  way  led  over  the  fences,  is  made 
much  of,  and  well  fed  upon  arrival.  Practically 
your  hunter  is  ready  for  you  now,  and  if  you 
never  ask  him  for  extraordinary  efforts  in  cold 
blood  (but  heed  only  his  manners  and  the  form 
in  which  he  works),  you  may  attempt  when  hounds 
are  running,  to  jump  anything  in  (or  out  of) 
reason;  he  will  try,  anyway,  and  that's  all  any 
horse  or  man  can  do. 

You  may  do  about  the  same  thing  with  hounds, 
and  with  no  preliminary  schooling  ;  letting  him 
see  the  field  go  on,  and  then  following  quietly  after 
for  a  mile  or  two  ;  leaving  off,  for  a  few  times, 
while  he  is  still  eager  and  fresh ;  and  you  will 
generally  have  a  surprisingly  safe  ride.  The  nov- 
ice always  jumps  big,  especially  after  he  has 
rapped  his  shins  once  and,  if  he  falls,  he  takes  the 
greatest  care  not  to  hurt  you,  and,  being  unterri- 
fied  by  previous  disaster,  will  always  try  to  get 
up  —  a  thing  that  an  old  horse  will  not  always 
do,  especially  if  a  bit  blown  ;  and  this  it  is  very 
handy  to  have  him  attempt,  if  he  is  lying  on 
your  cigars  —  you  may  want  to  smoke  !  In  fact, 
in  a  long  experience  of  riding  all  sorts  of  horses, 

169 


FIRST-HAND  BITS  OF  STABLE  LORE 

over,  into,  through  (and  under)  about  every  im- 
aginable fence  and  combination  thereof,  the  writer 
has  never  on'ce  been  seriously  hurt  or  broken  any 
bones,  except  when  riding  the  few  "  made  hunt- 
ers" that  chanced,  through  some  infirmity  of 
temper,  to  be  sent  to  him  for  coercion. 

Contrary  to  general  opinion,  it  has  always 
seemed  bad  policy  to  deliberately  try  to  put 
horses  down  by  arranging  traps  for  them,  and 
making  them  jump  fences  beyond  their  powers. 
Horses  must  fall,  but  let  that  come  in  the  course 
of  events,  and  when  the  blood  is  up.  A  hunter 
should  be  as  bold  as  possible ;  and  any  fall  that 
hurts  him  will  never  be  forgotten,  nor  will  it 
always  make  him  more  careful,  for  he  sometimes 
seems  to,  desperately,  take  chances  thereafter, 
and  does  not  half  try.  Moderate-sized,  unbreak- 
able fences  are  the  things  over  which  he  may 
scramble  and  plunge,  but  if  they  do  not  break 
he  concludes  nothing  will,  and  takes  care  not  to 
test  them.  Better  far  three  feet  six  inches  in  per- 
fect form  over  stiff  fences,  than  five  feet  over 
loose  bars  that  can  be  knocked  off.  Your  neo- 
phyte never  forgets  the  last  occurrence,  either; 
and  some  day,  when  he  is  rather  tired,  he  will 
take  a  chance  at  a  big  place,  fail  dismally,  and 

170 


THE  HUNTER  AND  HIS  EDUCATION 

leave  you  a  possible  job  for  surgeon  or  coroner, 
according  to  your  luck. 

If  you  find  that  your  pupil  persistently  "hangs 
his  knees  "  —  that  is,  folds  his  forelegs  from  the 
knee,  but  not  from  the  shoulder  and  elbow  — 
get  rid  of  him  forthwith.  He  can  rarely  be 
cured  of  the  fault ;  he  will  never  be  safe  with  it ; 
and  if  he  does  tuck  those  dangling  limbs  cosily 
under  a  stiff  toprail  he  will  give  you  a  smashing 
fall  that  will  —  well,  it  will  break  your  watch- 
crystal,  anyway.  A  rogue,  or  a  headstrong  horse 
—  as  some  excellent  hunters  originally  were  — 
is  often  well  worth  expending  patience  upon. 
Their  failings  are  but  the  result  of  misdirected 
energy,  caused  by  a  bold  and  independent  spirit, 
that  will  be  invaluable  once  their  confidence  is 
gained.  To  this  end  patience  and  perseverance 
are  the  only  means  —  never  punishment.  Ask 
them  to  do  all  sorts  of  unexpected  (but  perfectly 
possible)  things  ;  being  sure  that  you  have  plenti- 
ful leisure  at  your  disposal,  and  never  provoking 
an  argument  you  are  not  prepared  to  carry 
through.  Turn  him  out  of  the  road  and  through 
that  little  gap  and  back  again,  or  over  that  ditch  ; 
ride  up  that  woodland  road,  and  out  of  it  among 
the  trees ;  when  about  to  enter  the  stable,  turn 

171 


FIRST-HAND  BITS  OF  STABLE  LORE 

and  ride  him  away  for  a  few  hundred  yards  ; 
every  time  he  wants  to  go  a  certain  direction,  make 
him  go  some  other,  or  wait  until  he  does.  Just 
sit  there,  that's  all;  he  will  give  in  and  finally 
have  no  mind  of  his  own,  once  he  finds  it 's  use- 
less, and  that  the  quickest  way  to  get  through  is 
to  comply.  Remember  his  mind  only  contains 
one  idea  at  a  time,  that  he  is  foolish  and  timid  ; 
that  he  obeys,  not  because  he  wants  to,  but  be- 
cause you  deceive  him  into  thinking  he  can't 
help  himself. 

Once  he  has  competently  performed  he  needs 
no  more  schooling,  and  it  is  surprising  to  find 
how  regularly  every  year  many  hunting  men  put 
their  horses  through  a  "  course  of  sprouts  "  that 
serves  but  to  disgust  them.  All  that  is  necessary  is 
to  get  the  muscles  used  in  jumping  in  order,  and, 
in  our  short  drag  hunts,  preliminary  jumping  is 
not  called  for,  especially  if  there  be  a  hill  any- 
where at  hand  —  the  longer  the  better — up 
which  horses  can  jog,  trot,  and  canter  (walking 
down)  for  an  hour  or  so  daily.  Nothing  better 
can  be  imagined  for  the  purpose,  and  a  hunter 
that  knows  his  business  is  all  the  more  keen  if  he 
never  sees  a  fence  from  the  last  meet  of  our  season 
to  the  first  of  another.  If  any  schooling  is  done 

172 


THE  HUNTER  AND  HIS  EDUCATION 

it  should  be  at  low  and  stiff  fences,  and  always 
with  a  rider,  as  the  balance  is  different  when  the 
horse  is  burdened ;  and,  as  the  object  is  to  exer- 
cise the  muscles,  he  will  do  so  more  perfectly  if  he 
carries  a  man.  That  the  pen  —  the  enclosed 
school  —  is  useful  enough  to  bother  about  may 
well  be  questioned,  and  a  few  fences  made  with 
wings  that  will  not  interfere  with  the  lunge-rein 
answer  just  as  well,  if  that  sort  of  schooling  is  at- 
tempted. These  obstacles  should,  of  course,  be 
low  — not  over  four  feet  —  stiff,  and  may  be  ar- 
ranged in  a  small  area  so  that  the  pupil  on  the 
long  rein  may  negotiate  them  in  turn.  The 
trouble  with  "  pens  "  and  "  lunging  "  is  that  the 
subject  is  very  apt  to  find  too  many  things  to 
distract  his  attention.  If  he  is  going  to  his  fence, 
and  you  are  going  with  (and  on)  him,  he  can  at- 
tend strictly  to  the  matter  in  hand.  Another 
objection  to  the  enclosure  is  that  it  is  too  handy 
of  access  and  too  easy  for  you  to  play  with.  The 
temptation  is  strong  to  show  Tom,  Dick  or 
Harry  "  how  the  bay  horse  jumps,"  and,  as  usu- 
ally happens,  when  he  does  not  "  put  up  "  the 
clean  and  clear  performance  which  delighted  one 
yesterday,  one  is  not  unlikely  to  keep  at  him  un- 
til he  does,  or  becomes  so  much  worse  that  he  is 

173 


FIRST-HAND  BITS  OF  STABLE  LORE 

sent  away  in  disgust —  the  truth  being  that  his 
unusual  efforts  on  the  previous  occasion  have 
rendered  him  muscle-sore  and  disinclined  to  try. 
Reward  and  caress  should  follow  performance 
here  as  elsewhere;  and  remember  horses  as  a 
rule  hate  jumping. 

Water  of  any  width  is  not  usually  met  with  in 
our  hunts  because  the  dragman  does  not  cross  it. 
If  one  would  have  his  horses  jump  such  obstruc- 
tions, however,  it  is  very  easily  taught  them,  and 
despite  the  objection  said  to  be  entertained  by 
English  horses  to  brooks,  etc.,  our  horses  make 
no  great  to-do  over  them. 

The  education  of  a  hunter  in  America  is  vastly 
simplified  by  the  fact  that  we  have  practically  only 
two  varieties  of  fence,  post  and  rails,  and  stone 
walls.  The  wall  is  of  all  obstacles  the  easiest  of 
negotiation,  and  in  fact,  where  that  is  the  general 
form  of  fence  to  be  met  with,  schooling  is  practi- 
cally uncalled  for.  There  is  apparently  some- 
thing about  a  wall,  perhaps  its  apparent  solidity, 
that  makes  it,  whatever  its  height,  the  most  ac- 
ceptable of  fences ;  nor  does  this  fact  change  even 
when  the  agriculturist  superimposes  a  "  sheep- 
rail,"  perhaps  a  foot  or  more  higher.  Any 
horse  that  is  not  a  cripple,  or  "  ricked "  in  the 

*74 


THE  HUNTER  AND  HIS  EDUCATION 

back,  is  a  hunter  in  a  stone-wall  country,  and  the 
boldness  and  cleverness  there  acquired  stand 
him  in  good  stead  when  rails  or  gates  must  be 
encountered.  The  writer  has  ridden  dozens  of 
horses  (rarely  the  same  horse  twice)  over  a  nearby 
country,  where  walls,  many  of  them  capped  and 
two  feet  thick,  form  the  chief  impediments,  run- 
ning up  to  formidable  heights,  frequently  crowned 
with  "  sheep-rails ;  "  interspersed  with  plank  fences 
and  post  and  rails  ;  and  although  these  animals 
had  never  seen  hounds,  nor  a  jump  of  any  sort, 
was  always  up  at  the  finish.  This  is  only  men- 
tioned (with  apology)  to  show  that  personal  ex- 
perience with  quantities  of  horses  of  all  sizes, 
shapes,  and  kinds,  has  proved  how  practical  are 
such  methods,  and  how  generally  wrong  we  are 
in  all  this  schooling  over  which  we  make  so  much 
fuss  and  flurry;  we  will  persist  in  trying  to  make 
an  animal,  who  understands  himself  better  than 
we  possibly  can,  do  his  work  after  our  fashion. 

Post  and  rails  afford  a  fair  and  easy  fence  to 
the  horse  which  has  been  deceived  into  thinking 
rails  unbreakable ;  he  can  see  any  impending 
ditch  clearly,  and  can  in  every  way  allow  for  just 
what  exertion  is  necessary.  Rails  have  a  forbid- 
ding appearance  to  those  who  have  hunted  in  a 

175 


FIRST-HAND  BITS  OF  STABLE  LORE 

wall  country,  but  they  are  no  more  formidable  in 
reality,  the  only  difference  being  that  your  novice 
not  improbably  tries  to  break  them  when  he  is 
fresh,  and  certainly  will  when  tired.  The  post  is 
the  safest  thing  to  aim  for  unless  it  is  too  high 
above  the  top  rail ;  your  horse  will  try  hard  to 
clear  it  because  it  seems  solid,  and  a  rail  broken  or 
carried  away  may  split  and  fall  so  as  to  impale  him. 
Gates  are  always  highly  dangerous,  for  if  they  are 
hit,  the  latch  is  generally  so  weak  that  the  gate 
swings  with  you,  and  you  may  get  an  awful  fall. 
However,  no  sane  man  will  ever  essay  a  gate  on 
a  "green"  one,  if  any  alternative  offers. 

Opinions  differ  as  to  the  pace  to  be  employed 
at  timber,  but  as  rails  are  really  no  more  formid- 
able than  walls,  the  same  calm  and  collected  rate 
should  be  preserved  at  both,  more  especially  at 
timber,  if  no  gripe  shows  beyond.  A  deliberate 
horse  may  always  be  hurried,  if  needful,  and  so 
far  as  pace  having  any  bearing  on  the  height  to 
be  successfully  cleared,  we  all  remember  Ontario, 
who  used  (at  last)  to  turn  round  the  edge  of  the 
wing  at  a  walk,  make  perhaps  three  strides,  and 
clear  six  feet  and  upward.  Lord  Minto  and 
many  other  extraordinary  high  jumpers  approach 
their  fences  at  a  hack  canter.  Even  the  rushers, 


THE  HUNTER  AND  HIS  EDUCATION 

coming  to  their  fences  like  meteors,  begin  to 
"prop"  a  few  strides  away,  and  "take  off"  like 
the  temperate  ones.  Therefore  as  both  varieties 
employ  at  the  critical  moment  precisely  the  same 
methods,  there  is  no  argument  left  in  favor  of  ex- 
cessive pace,  and  in  America  the  flying  leaper 
has  no  advantages  over  the  deliberate.  Wire  is 
on  the  increase  everywhere.  The  huntsmen  of 
Australia  are  said  to  ride  over  this  fence  as  a  regu- 
lar thing,  and  it  affords  about  all  the  leaping  they 
have.  By  going  at  the  posts  one  has  a  chance  at 
such  an  obstacle,  but  it  is  only  a  chance,  and 
while  frequently  nearly  invisible  against  certain 
backgrounds,  it  also  insures  a  hard  fall  and  a 
badly  cut  horse  if  collided  with. 

It  will  never  prove  a  popular  (!)  fence,  certainly, 
among  even  hard  riders,  and  should  it  become 
universal,  as  apparently  it  must,  hunting  will  be 
doomed. 

Neither  "  full  bridles "  nor  spurs  should  be 
employed  in  schooling,  nor  (if  rowelled)  should 
the  latter  be  used  in  hunting.  They  are  thought 
to  "  look  well "  because  we  are  used  to  thinking 
that  they  set  off  a  top-boot,  but  only  one  man  in 
fifty  knows  how  and  when  to  use  them,  —  and 
that  individual  leaves  them  at  home.  More 

177 


FIRST-HAND  BITS  OF  STABLE  LORE 

refusers,  worse  rushers,  more  rogues  and  cowards 
have  been  made  by  these  contrivances  than  by  all 
others  put  together ;  and  if  you  see  a  man  down, 
and  down  hard,  take  another  look  and  see  if  he 
isn't  wearing  spurs,  with  which  he  has  just  done 
some  foolish  thing,  or  reminded  his  sprawling 
steed  that  he  had  before  been  ripped  up  at  a  sim- 
ilar place,  insuring  a  scrambling  jump  and  ensu- 
ing grief.  Any  horse  that  needs  spurs  to  make 
him  jump  is  no  hunter,  and  no  horse,  properly 
educated,  requires  them,  anyway.  What  a  re- 
proach to  a  rider,  on  dismounting  after  a  good 
run,  to  find  his  horse's  sides  and  shoulders  punc- 
tured and  bleeding,  his  spurs  and  boots  blood- 
stained !  half  of  the  damage  having  been  caused 
inadvertently,  it  is  true,  but  not  the  less  shocking 
for  that.  It  has  been  well  said  that,  with  differ- 
ent combinations  of  the  snaffle-bit,  one  can  hold 
any  horse.  Leather  or  rubber-covered,  four- 
ringed,  nose-banded,  gag-reined,  running-reined, 
chain,  twisted,  double  and  single-reined,  martin- 
gale or  free,  etc.,  the  statement  is  very  nearly 
true. 

Very  few  men  are  competent  to  handle  prop- 
erly the  double-reined  bit  and  bridoon  bridle,  and 
it  has  had  a  recent  vogue  which  is  by  no  means 


THE  HUNTER  AND  HIS  EDUCATION 

its  due.  It  is  used,  not  for  any  special  and  intelli- 
gent reason,  but  because  the  saddler  and  other  ad- 
visers recommend  it.  The  simpler  arrangements, 
relegated  to  the  groom's  use,  are  just  as  appro- 
priate to  the  master's,  and  if  the  latter  is  possessed 
of  the  fine  and  delicate  "  hands  "  which  he  will 
not  allow  that  the  menial  possesses,  he  should  be 
able  to  make  his  horses  bend  and  carry  themselves 
just  so  much  better,  with  the  same  tools,  than 
the  servant.  Experiment  will  prove  what  form 
is  suitable  to  the  mouth  and  to  your  hand,  for 
the  trouble  may,  and  does  more  often,  lie  at  your 
door  than  at  the  horse's. 

Some  of  the  arguments  used,  and  of  the  meth- 
ods advised,  may  meet  with  scant  favor.  That, 
however,  is  not  the  point,  and  they  are  simply 
given  as  having  proved  useful  in  practise.  We 
all  have  our  own  ideas  about  the  best  ways  of 
accomplishing  such  feats,  and  as  the  main  issue  is 
the  crossing  of  a  country  with  safety  and  ease, 
and  after  as  little  preliminary  trouble  as  possible, 
perhaps  the  plans  recommended  may  at  least  be 
accorded  a  trial,  results  being  left  to  speak  for 
themselves. 


179 


Chapter   XIII 

THE   STEEPLECHASER   AND   HIS   SCHOOLING 

"  f    |    \WENTY  years  ago,"  as  the  old  man 

in    "  Adonis "    used    to    say,    the 
I  writer  was  once  commissioned  by  a 

sporting  friend  to  look  out  for  a 
thoroughbred  suitable  for  making  into  a  steeple- 
chase horse.  After  diligent  inspection  of  various 
winners,  etc.,  the  would-be  purchaser  was  in- 
formed that  there  was  nothing  among  the  success- 
ful horses  (on  the  flat)  that  "  looked  the  part  " 
for  the  cross-country  game,  and  the  reply  has 
never  been  forgotten,  for  wisdom  and  conciseness 
quite  unique.  cc  You  are  watching  the  wrong 
end  of  the  races,"  it  ran.  "  Never  mind  the 
winners  on  the  flat ;  see  what  is  in  front  —  and 
stops  —  at  four  furlongs.  If  he  gallops  rather 
high,  and  seems  to  give  up  because  he  can't 
carry  that  action  at  the  pace,  buy  him."  This 
epitome  has  since  proved  almost  invariably 
true. 

1 80 


THE   STEEPLECHASER 

"  Action  carries  weight."  "  Wind  is  strength." 
"  The  best  stayer  is  the  sprinter,  which  only 
gallops  while  others  race."  These  three  maxims 
really  contain  the  essence  of  truth,  so  far,  at 
least,  as  selecting  cross-country  material  is  con- 
cerned ;  and  he  who  would  go  a-shopping  would 
do  well  to  bear  them  in  mind.  Countless  have 
been  the  efforts  to  make  over  high-class  flat- 
racers  into  crack  steeplechasers,  and  in  nearly 
every  case  the  result  has  been  dire  failure.  Years 
ago,  in  the  late  sixties,  R.  B.  Connolly  was  fair  at 
both  games ;  later  on,  Post-Guard  (General 
Phillips),  and  Resolute  (Mart  Jordan),  and  Day 
Star  performed  fairly  well,  but  in  these  three 
cases  it  should  be  remembered  that  fences  were 
all  very  small,  and  that  horses  of  no  reputation 
on  the  flat  were  beating  all  three  of  them  in  the 
turns  that  our  pernicious  handicap  system  as- 
sured. More  recently  Dr.  Catlett,  quite  a  good 
flat  race-horse,  ran  successfully  over  the  "  sticks," 
but  he  generally  beat  nothing  much,  and  was  apt 
to  fall  if  hurried.  Howard  Mann,  winner  of  the 
Brooklyn  Handicap,  was  put  to  jumping,  and 
was  big  enough  and  strong  enough,  had  such 
qualities  been  useful  factors,  to  carry  any  weights  ; 
but  a  trumpery  hurdle-race  or  two  was  the  best 

181 


FIRST-HAND  BITS  OF  STABLE  LORE 

he  could  annex.  Fast  horses  (on  the  flat)  have 
done  well  over  hurdles,  but  practically  never 
"  through  the  field,"  and  have  been  regularly  and 
signally  beaten  by  horses  which  could  not  (over 
the  flat)  "  see  which  way  they  went." 

There  is  a  reason  for  all  things,  as  for  this; 
but  what  is  it  ?  It  has  always  seemed  that  the 
action  was  different  —  was  higher  and  rounder 
in  the  successful  cross-country  horse.  Whether 
this  makes  to  his  advantage  over  grass,  or  in 
jumping,  or  at  both  tasks,  has  never  been 
conclusively  and  logically  explained.  Certainly, 
however,  it  seems  that  somehow,  and  "some 
why,"  this  sort  of  action  is  essential  to  the  suc- 
cessful jumper ;  nor  is  the  mere  sprinting,  fast 
horse  any  more  likely  than  any  other  to  prove  a 
good  performer,  unless  he  is  classed  as  a  sprinter, 
for  the  reason  that  he  cannot  carry  his  high  action 
at  speed  for  any  distance  without  tiring  and  stop- 
ping. This  explanation  is  doubly  logical  because 
the  gist  of  it  is  that  the  possession  of  speed  proves 
the  animal  a  high-class  horse ;  and  his  infirmity  of 
excessive  action,  which  causes  exhaustion  at  top 
speed,  prevents  his  taking  the  position,  on  the 
flat,  which  is  his  by  right  of  ability.  Handi- 
capped by  this  shortcoming,  he,  at  other  tasks, 

182 


THE   STEEPLECHASER 

and  at  a  slower  rate  of  speed,  finds  his  opportu- 
nity and  develops  into  the  crack  'chaser  we  ail 
admire.  In  other  words,  he  is  a  high-class  horse ; 
but  even  as  a  colt  can  hardly  win  the  Futurity  if 
he  has  but  three  legs,  so  the  animal  in  question 
can  only  go  a  certain  distance  at  top  speed,  be- 
fore fatigue  compels  him  to  give  up,  and  he  is 
called  a  "  quitter  "  and  a  "  mere  sprinter."  If 
such  a  horse  turns  out  well  over  jumps,  we  pro- 
claim ourselves  as  wizards  for  selecting  him ;  but 
we  are  blind  to  the  fact  that,  if  put  at  the  same 
tasks  on  the  flat  —  racing  over  a  distance  of  two 
miles  or  more  —  he  might  have  developed  pre- 
cisely similar  ability ;  and  if  we  give  him  the 
chance,  and  the  needful  preparation,  we  not  im- 
probably find  that  our  'chaser  is  fairly  shifty  at 
the  "  legitimate  "  game.  It  would  be  interesting 
to  see  one  of  our  best  cross-country  horses  spec- 
ially prepared  for  one  of  the  fall  long-distance 
flat  races  ;  he  would,  not  improbably,  give  a  re- 
markably good  account  of  himself. 

Was  it  Whyte-Melville  who  called  attention 
to  the  fact  that  in  every  case,  after  a  long  and 
exhausting  run  with  hounds,  the  men  "present 
or  accounted  for"  were  invariably  mounted  upon 
little  horses,  old  horses,  and  thoroughbred  horses  ? 

183 


FIRST-HAND  BITS  OF  STABLE  LORE 

The  "  thoroughbred  "  and  the  "  old  "  are  quite 
matter-of-course,  since  no  mongrel  and  no  baby 
can  do  a  well-bred  man's  work ;  but  there  is 
much  significance  in  the  "  little  "  part  of  it,  — 
probably  under  15.2  in  contradistinction  to  the 
huge  beasts  that  buyers  will  seek  for,  whether 
for  hacking,  hunting,  or  steeplechasing.  What 
is  there  about  a  big  horse  that  is  so  valuable? 
Does  the  elephant  carry  weight  proportionate  to 
his  bulk  and  tallness?  Surely  not.  And  does 
not  the  flea  jump  many  times  his  own  height  ? 
The  big  horse  has  generally  proved  a  failure  at 
steeplechasing ;  our  cramped  and  almost  circular 
courses  are  all  against  him  and  riis  long  stride, 
and  the  fences  come  too  close  together.  Again, 
if  he  hits  one  of  them  —  at  the  pace  our  cross- 
country events  are  run  —  he  jars  himself  to 
pieces,  and  if  once  off*  his  stride,  he  is  apt  to  drop 
right  out  of  it.  He  is  also  harder  on  his  legs, 
and  consequently  more  difficult  to  get  thoroughly 
fit  than  a  smaller  animal ;  he  does  not  carry 
weight  any  better ;  he  adds  to  his  prospective 
handicap  imposts  because  the  handicapper  cannot 
forget  that  he  looks  big  and  able ;  he  does  n't 
make  the  fences  look  smaller,  because  some  of 
them  are  of  miniature  proportions  now ;  he  de- 

184 


THE   STEEPLECHASER 

velops  and  comes  to  his  full  powers  much  later ; 
he  is  dearer  to  buy ;  he  eats  (or  let 's  hope  he 
does)  more  than  the  "  little  un ; "  he  weighs 
more  when  he  rolls  over  you ;  he  has  everything 
against  him,  and  nothing  in  his  favor,  except  the 
fact  that  he  "  looks  the  part ;  "  but  how  many 
failures  do  that,  and  how  many  "  cracks  "  do  not  ? 

These  characteristics  an  embryo  'chaser  must 
have  :  he  must  gallop  rather  high  ;  he  must  flex 
his  hocks  ;  he  should  have  a  fairly  good  shoulder ; 
and  that  extra  length  in  back,  and  freedom  in  loin 
which  is  so  generally  decried  and  rejected,  and 
without  which  no  horse  has  the  requisite  liberty 
and  length  to  properly  "use  himself"  at  the 
task.  Long  below  and  short  above  is  all  very 
well,  but  get  the  length,  anyway. 

With  a  long  hill  (the  longer  and  steeper  the 
better),  a  fence,  and  a  ditch  you  can  condition  any 
horse  that  is  passing  sound,  and  if  he  hath  in- 
firmities the  more  does  this  afford  appropriate 
environment.  Trot  up  and  walk  back  ;  canter 
up  and  walk  down  ;  thighs,  loins,  all  the  jumping 
and  galloping  muscles  developing  at  every  stride, 
and  wind  and  heart  gaining  strength  steadily. 
Take  a  horse,  so  trained,  to  one  of  our  steeple- 
chase courses  and  he  will  show  a  performance  un- 


FIRST-HAND  BITS  OF  STABLE  LORE 

expectedly  good ;  and  whatever  puts  him  down, 
it  will  not  be  weak  or  tired  jumping  muscles. 
We  eternally  exercise  and  gallop  horses,  under 
light  weights,  over  dead  flat  roads  and  race  tracks, 
and  then  marvel  that  they  fall  or  are  beaten  off 
in  their  races;  nothing  so  confuses  true  "  form  " 
in  'chasing  as  this  fact.  If  one  has  not  a  hill,  an 
ordinary  horse  power,  such  as  is  used  for  thresh- 
ing machines,  is  excellent;  and  any  horse  will  go 
kindly  in  (and  out)  of  it  if  he  is  fed  in  it  a  few 
times  before  it  is  started  up,  and  then  moved 
slowly  at  first.  An  hour  or  so  daily  at  this  work 
will  do  wonders  in  developing  muscles  one  never 
realized  a  horse  had. 

It  is  an  excellent  arrangement,  if  schooling 
fences  can  be  so  placed  that  a  horse  jumps  them 
as  a  matter  of  course  on  his  return  from  his  work, 
and  thus  clears  from  four  to  six  fences  unaware 
that  he  is  being  educated.  Of  course  you  can 
handle  him  like  a  hunter — and  hunt  him  as  well 
—  if  convenient ;  but  the  dwelling  style  of  a  good 
hunter  is  the  last  habit  you  want  your  tyro  to 
acquire,  and  the  trick  may  recur  to  him  some  fine 
day  when  the  "money  is  down,"  and  he  thus 
loses  the  all-important  length  or  two,  too  near 
home  to  again  make  it  up.  You  do  not  want 

186 


THE   STEEPLECHASER 

him  to  jump  clear  over  anything,  either,  as  that 
entails  waste  of  power,  but  to  "  hear  his  feet 
rattle  "  at  every  fence,  as  an  assurance  that  not  an 
inch  too  much  is  essayed.  All  his  leaps  will  be 
regulation  fences  —  banks,  brush,  water,  and  that 
idiotic  "  Liverpool,"  the  most  senseless,  useless, 
trifling,  un-American  contraption  ever  incorpo- 
rated in  requirements.  Of  these  he  will  find  cer- 
tainly ten  inches  flimsy  brush,  so  that  if  he  clearly 
and  with  certainty  jumps  three  feet  six  inches  the 
fence  is  not  built  on  American  courses  that  will 
put  him  down,  nor  is  there  anything  to  be  gained 
by  asking  him  to  jump  higher,  by  more  than  an 
inch  or  two.  Some  of  our  'chasing  enthusiasts 
perpetually  school  their  horses  over  larger  fences  ; 
but  the  returns  do  not  show  that  they  profit  by 
it  —  either  owners  or  charges  —  but  rather  the 
reverse  ;  nothing  is  more  irksome  than  rehearsal 
when  the  actor  knows  himself  letter  perfect ; 
some  of  these  everlasting  schoolmasters  kill  and 
maim  not  a  few  of  their  animals,  while  the  balance 
of  them  fall  about  as  often  as  those  more  leniently 
treated. 

The  variety  of  jumps  advised  and  legalized  by 
the  National  Steeplechase  and  Hunt  Association 
is  sparse,  and  the  obstacles  are  not  those  which, 


FIRST-HAND  BITS  OF  STABLE  LORE 

in  this  country,  are  ever  met  with  in  the  hunting 
field.  As  "  hunters "  are,  by  use  of  a  pious 
fiction,  supposed  to  race  over  these  courses,  they 
are  described  as  "  fair  hunting  country  "  —  than 
which  nothing  wider  from  the  truth  and  the  actual 
facts  can  be  imagined.  Not  only  are  our  steeple- 
chase fences  unfair,  in  that  they  do  not  in  the 
very  remotest  degree  resemble  any  American 
fence,  but  they  are  practically  rarely  built  in 
accordance  with  the  instructions  issued  by  the 
N.  S.  &  H.  A.  They  are  principally  banks, 
brush  jumps,  and  a  so-called  cc  Liverpool."  This 
latter  is  neither  fish,  flesh,  nor  fowl,  and  is,  even 
in  the  country  of  its  origin  (England),  held  up  to 
daily  vituperation  alike  by  public,  press,  owners, 
and  riders.  Over  it  a  shocking  number  of  horses 
have  been  fatally  injured,  although  it  must  be 
owned  that  such  results  have  not  so  regularly  ob- 
tained here,  wherefore  this  criticism  is  restricted  to 
condemnation  of  it  as  absurd  and  useless  because 
it  is  not  of  national  character.  Rails,  walls,  slat- 
fences,  brooks,  board  fences,  etc.,  are  legitimate 
obstacles,  and  those  to  be  met  with  in  riding 
across  any  American  country.  To  these  ab- 
solutely should  our  jumps  be  restricted ;  nor  is 
there  any  reason  for  the  adoption  of  other  styles, 

188 


THE   STEEPLECHASER 

and  imitation  of  what  is  English.  Our  water 
jumps  are  as  trifling  as  the  other  obstacles,  and 
contain  hardly  enough  liquid  to  make  a  splash 
when  a  horse  lands  in  them.  Again,  from  the 
circular  nature  of  our  courses,  the  field  is  always 
bunched  close  to  the  inside  flags,  and  one  can 
hardly  find  a  footprint  twenty  feet  out  from 
them  ;  thus  making  the  going  not  unusually 
cuppy  and  rough  on  the  inside  of  the  course, 
and  rendering  the  higher  action  more  useful,  in 
fact  essential,  than  the  "  daisy  cutting." 

Whatever  hunting  a  horse  may  have  done —  and 
at  whatever  pace  he  may  have  been  ridden — you 
find,  when  it  comes  to  steeplechasing,  that  it  has 
not  advanced  his  preparation  to  any  great  extent. 
This  is  assuming  that  the  runs  have  been  at  the 
usual  hunting  pace ;  for,  of  course,  if  the  drag  is 
laid  so  that  hounds  get  through  bar-ways,  etc., 
and  if  they  are  fast,  the  hunt  will  present  all  the 
incidents  of  a  'chase ;  and  a  horse  may  fly  his 
fences,  and  charge  them  at  full  speed,  perforce 
gaining  thereby  the  finest  kind  of  experience. 
At  the  hunting  game,  however,  he  learns  only  to 
be  clever,  and  too  suspicious  and  careful  —  the 
very  virtues  (in  your  hunter)  which  are  the  most 
objectionable  of  faults  (in  your  steeplechaser). 

189 


FIRST-HAND  BITS  OF  STABLE  LORE 

Your  'chaser  cannot  be  too  bold,  nor  too  rash  ; 
he  should  never  (if  you  can  help  it)  think  he  can 
fall,  and  be  willing  to  go  anywhere  that  he  is 
headed  without  hesitation,  and  to  take  any  and 
every  chance  ;  for  with  our  fields  always  crowded 
at  the  fences,  and  the  patrol  judges  and  stewards 
overlooking  much  jostling,  a  cowardly  horse  has 
no  chance,  and  the  first  bump  puts  him  out  of 
the  game.  For  this  reason  the  horse  that  leads 
the  pupil  in  his  work  must  be  as  bold  as  a  lion  at 
all  times,  and  go  flying  at  everything  without 
hesitation.  A  shifty,  dodging,  propping  old 
rascal  that  begins  to  hang  and  swerve  the  moment 
a  fence  heaves  in  view  is  the  last  schoolmaster 
the  youngster  should  follow  ;  and,  in  fact,  the 
young  'chaser  should  always  jump  his  fences 
either  lapped  on,  or  head  and  head  with,  his 
mates  ;  head  and  head  at  first,  because,  if  half  a 
length  or  more  back,  the  green  one  will  take  off 
when  the  horse  in  front  does  (possibly)  have  just 
that  much  farther  to  spring  and  get  a  bad  fall  in 
consequence.  This  jumping  in  company  is  most 
essential,  because  it  makes  the  pupil  look  out  for 
himself  and  get  used  to  the  rush  and  turmoil  of 
horses  all  about  (and  upon)  him,  and  teaches  him 
to  time  his  eye  and  his  muscles  to  act  indepen- 

190 


THE   STEEPLECHASER 

dently  of  others.  How  often  you  see  two  horses 
in  a  'chase  come  to  a  fence,  and  the  one  not  quite 
up  —  half  a  length  or  so  back  —  come  a  "  regular 
buster,"  because  he  gets  confused  and  takes  off 
when  the  other  does. 

The  novice  should  always  wear  the  very  easiest 
bit  that  will  restrain  and  guide  him  ;  and  the  vari- 
ous combinations  of  the  snaffle-bit  are  most  use- 
ful, as  anything  like  a  curb  has  the  tendency  to 
make  him  fight  it  and  gallop  too  high.  A  rail 
should  be  put  down  in  front  of  every  schooling 
jump,  which  will  make  him  "  stand  away  "  at  his 
fences,  and  if  this  imitates  the  guard-rail  of  the 
"  Liverpool  "  he  will  jump  that  monstrosity  the 
first  time  he  ever  sees  it,  and  quite  as  a  matter  of 
course.  He  should  never  be  schooled  over  this 
fence  (that  is,  "  Liverpool  "),  however,  for,  if  con- 
structed according  to  the  rules,  it  has  an  awesome 
aspect,  and  many  a  promising  young  horse  has 
been  ruined  for  the  job  by  allowing  him  to  get 
frightened  at  a  fence  he  never  should  have  seen 
until  his  blood  was  up  and  he  went  to  it  in  com- 
pany with  other  horses  in  a  race.  If  the  guard- 
rail is  down  in  front  of  every  fence,  he  treats  them 
all  alike,  and  one  has  no  more  trouble  with  him 
at  the  ditch  than  at  any  other  fence.  Horses 

191 


FIRST-HAND  BITS  OF  STABLE  LORE 

need  little  or  no  schooling  at  water-jumps,  either. 
A  green  horse  may  "  prop "  a  little  before  a 
water-jump  in  a  race,  but  he  is  going  too  fast  to 
stop,  and  is  over  before  he  knows.  If  he  learns 
to  refuse  in  his  preliminary  work,  however,  he 
can  never  be  depended  upon,  and  he  can,  if  scien- 
tific, come  at  his  fence  at  a  tremendous  rate,  and 
still  stop  dead,  or  whip  'round. 

The  long-hill  trots  and  canters  are  the  things, 
and  if  he  can  wind  up  by  jumping  a  few  fences  on 
his  way  to  the  stable,  he  is  learning  his  business 
and  getting  fit  to  perform  it  at  one  and  the  same 
time,  and  with  the  best  will  in  the  world. 

The  thoroughbred  novice  will  generally  prove, 
or  seem  to  prove,  himself  rather  timorous  at  first. 
Of  course,  as  a  matter  of  fact,  he  is  exactly  the 
reverse,  but  all  his  preliminary  education,  if  com- 
ing from  a  flat-racing  stable,  has  taught  him  the 
wisdom  of  doing  as  little  as  he  possibly  can  when 
outdoors.  His  carelessness  and  indifference  re- 
sult generally  from  that  fact,  and  also  from  the 
superior  intelligence  which  leads  him  to  be  suspi- 
cious of  novelties  and  cautious  to  a  fault.  Gener- 
ally, he  is  a  shockingly  bad  performer  at  all  paces 
except  full  speed  ;  he  misunderstands  the  position 
of  your  hands  when  you  start  to  canter,  as  a  sig- 

192 


THE   STEEPLECHASER 

nal  to  "  go  along  "  (as  it  was  in  racing  days),  and 
takes  an  awkward  hold  of  you  ;  he  usually  has  one 
side  to  his  mouth;  he  "goes  about"  with  the 
deliberation  of  a  line-of-battle  ship,  and  needs  as 
much  sea  room ;  he  kicks  up  every  pebble,  and 
stubs  his  toe  on  every  straw  and  cigarette  butt  in 
the  road.  All  this  he  must  give  up  ;  and  riding 
him  over  all  sorts  of  rough  ground  helps  action  and 
agility,  as  suitable  bitting  and  riding  into  his 
bridle  improves  mouth  and  paces.  Your  gawky, 
shambling,  three  or  four  year  old  learns  deport- 
ment quickly,  and  is  vastly  more  adaptable  to 
changed  conditions,  because  of  superior  intelli- 
gence, than  a  colder-blooded  horse. 

He  should  always  be  well  bandaged  when 
schooling,  and  there  should  be  no  stubs  nor  any- 
thing likely  to  scratch  his  thin  skin  in  your  school- 
ing fences,  and  he  should  always  go  to  the  "left 
about"  over  them,  as  all  our  'chases  are  run  that 
way.  He  will  prove  most  probably  a  "  shy  " 
doer  when  he  gets  really  into  work,  and  his  fickle 
appetite  must  be  tempted  in  the  peculiar  ways 
that  suit  him  best,  and  which  only  experience  will 
determine.  At  best  the  thoroughbred  rarely  eats 
as  much  as  other  horses.  He  may  love  compan- 
ionship, and  to  see  other  horses  at  all  times  in 
13  193 


FIRST-HAND  BITS  OF  STABLE  LORE 

the  stable ;  he  may  prefer  solitude,  being  of  mis- 
anthropic temperament;  he  may  be  a  "night- 
feeder,"  or  prefer  to  steal  his  grain,  finding  a  few 
handfuls  here  and  there  in  the  straw  of  his  box ; 
he  may  have  a  thousand  fancies,  but  if  he  is  to 
prove  a  good  horse  they  must  be  divined  and 
provided  for.  These  little  things  make  all  the 
difference.  If  walking,  galloping,  scraping,  and 
schooling  were  the  essentials,  training  would  be 
too  easy.  When  asked  how  he  trained  his  won- 
derfully successful  string,  the  very  excellent  hand- 
ler laconically  replied,  "In  the  stable;"  and  that 
is  about  four-fifths  of  the  whole  business. 

There  are  many  high-strung  horses  which  fear 
the  crowd  of  a  race-track,  and  fret  away  to  noth- 
ing during  the  twenty  minutes  or  so  they  are  in 
the  paddock.  They  will  outgrow  it  if  taken  to 
that  enclosure  every  day,  and  kept  walking  there 
for  an  hour  or  so.  They  fear,  not  the  people,  but 
the  race  which  has  always  proved  an  accompani- 
ment, and  their  dread  disappears  with  familiarity. 
Such  horses  ought  to  be  stabled  away  from  the 
track,  and  will  rarely  bear,  undisturbed,  any  pre- 
liminaries in  the  way  of  "setting  short"  before  a 
race,  but  are  best  left  to  run  without  preliminary 
"  readying." 

194 


THE   STEEPLECHASER 

If  every  thoroughbred  yearling  were  broken  to 
harness,  and  exercised  "in  leather,"  as  a  general 
thing  it  is  quite  sure  that  there  would  be  better 
results,  and  that  they  would  keep  sound  longer. 
For  one  thing  they  would  be  vastly  better  mouthed 
and  mannered,  because  they  would  be  handled  by 
men,  and  not  by  mischievous  boys ;  for  another, 
because  they  would  be  kept  on  the  roads,  and 
away  from  the  deadly  monotony  of  eternal  track 
and  shed  work ;  for  a  third,  because  they  would 
do  their  work  more  calmly  and  collectedly,  and 
would  use  different  sets  of  muscles ;  for  a  fourth, 
because  they  are  more  salable  afterwards  (and  a 
thoroughbred's  road-horse  qualities,  though  first 
class,  are  totally  ignored) ;  and,  for  lots  of  other 
reasons,  every  venture  in  this  line  has  proved 
highly  successful.  Horses  hold  their  flesh  much 
better  —  important  in  this  trying  climate  —  and 
steeplechasers  as  a  general  thing  need  vastly  more 
flesh  than  they  are  allowed  to  carry,  and  are  more 
often  too  light  than  the  reverse. 

With  plenty  of  hill  and  road  work,  a  cross- 
country horse  needs  very  few  fast  gallops  over  a 
distance  of  ground.  A  few  spins  at  four  furlongs 
or  so,  to  make  sure  he  has  his  speed  on  edge,  is 
enough,  unless  he  is  a  very  gross  horse;  and  if  he 

'95 


FIRST-HAND  BITS  OF  STABLE  LORE 

handles  himself  ably  against  the  watch,  is  nicely 
schooled,  hard  and  full  muscled,  bright,  and  eat- 
ing and  doing  well,  he  is  as  good  as  hands  can 
probably  make  him,  and  ready  to  appear  under 
silk.  He  may  fall,  or  "  run  green,"  and  he  will 
probably  have  to  learn  the  "  tricks  of  the  trade  " 
generally,  before  he  becomes  a  safe  betting  propo- 
sition ;  but,  beaten  or  not,  he  will  have  a  better 
foundation  for  future  operations  than  many  of  his 
seemingly  formidable  competitors. 


196 


Chapter    XIV 

RIDING   FOR  WOMEN  AND   CHILDREN 


i 


woman's  saddle-horse  must  be 
good-looking,  —  the  mere  fact  that 
he  is  so  generally  proves  him  pos- 
sessed of  a  harmony  of  parts  which 
insures  his  being  able-bodied  and  suitable  for 
work  ;  he  must  be  active,  good-natured  ;  he  must 
bend  his  hocks  well  —  as  must  any  saddle-horse, 
in  order  to  insure  ease  and  pleasure  in  riding  at 
the  trot ;  he  must  "  bridle  well,"  that  is,  bend 
his  neck,  and  carry  his  head  perpendicularly  ;  he 
must  have  a  nice  oblique  shoulder;  bold  and 
high  withers  ;  should  be  a  trifle  long  in  the  back, 
—  longer  than  is  generally  acceptable  in  a  man's 
riding  horse  —  in  order  that  additional  elasticity 
may  be  insured,  and  that  there  may  be  that  extra 
length,  which  the  long  and  broad  woman's  saddle 
renders  necessary  for  appearance  and  for  utility. 
He  should  walk  fast  and  square ;  trot  freely  and 
level  ;  and  canter  —  always  right  foot  first  —  at 

197 


FIRST-HAND  BITS  OF  STABLE  LORE 

a  touch  of  the  rider's  heel ;  or  its  effect  may 
be  transferred  to  a  tap  of  the  whip  on  the 
off-shoulder,  and  the  signal  prove  equally  intel- 
ligible after  a  little  practice.  Light  colors  (grays 
or  roans)  are  bad,  because  the  hairs  show  on  a 
dark  habit;  and  a  horse  with  few  white  mark- 
ings, or  none,  is  also  less  conspicuous  and  more 
"  genteel." 

No  horse  is  safe  for  a  woman  to  ride  unless  he 
will  stand  still  and  allow  her  to  mount  from  the 
ground  without  assistance  ;  and  no  woman  should 
ever  be  allowed  to  ride  alone  until  she  can  per- 
form this  very  simple  feat ;  can  put  on,  or  read- 
just, her  own  saddle  and  bridle,  and  know  when 
others  have  placed  and  fitted  them  properly.  As 
she  aspires  to  be  independent,  so  must  she  be 
prepared,  in  every  way,  to  take  care  of  herself; 
and  upon  the  heads  of  her  male  relatives  be  it  if 
she  is  not  properly  instructed  and  taught  how  to 
perform  the  simple  duties  needed.  Every  horse 
shrinks  after  an  hour  or  so  at  exercise,  and  the 
saddle  may  turn  at  any  moment  in  consequence, 
thereby  endangering  others,  possibly,  as  well  as  the 
rider.  An  ounce  of  prevention  is  most  valuable 
here,  and  the  equestrienne  should  know  how  to  re- 
girth  and  arrange  her  saddle  if  necessity  arises. 

198 


2 

at 
a 

h 

Q 

O 

o 

O 

2 

O 


RIDING   FOR   WOMEN 

Preserve  us  from  the  self-sufficient  female  who 
"knows  it  all/*  who  "Always  rode  with  popper 
from  the  time  I  could  walk."  "  Popper  "  prob- 
ably was  one  of  the  vast  army  whose  equine 
experiences  and  knowledge  of  equestrianism  were 
of  the  vaguest,  and  as  long  as  Maude  neither 
broke  her  neck,  nor  killed  anybody  else,  he  was 
more  than  satisfied  —  and  had  better  reasons  so 
to  be  than  probably  he  appreciated!  Anything 
that  is  worth  doing  is  worth  taking  pains  to  per- 
form to  the  best  advantage,  and  to  nothing  does 
this  so  much  apply  as  to  feminine  equestrianism 
and  the  general  carriage  and  attitude.  A  woman 
is  accepted  by  the  public  as  a  good  or  bad  per- 
former solely  upon  her  appearance.  She  may  be 
a  perfect  horsewoman,  but  if  ^she  looks  shiftless, 
sits  carelessly,  dresses  haphazard,  she  will  never 
class  among  the  experts  as  will  her  smart,  neat, 
correct  sister,  who  cannot  really  ride  at  all  —  but 
who  "  looks  the  part."  Riding  schools  and  compe- 
tent instructors  are  to  be  found  everywhere  now- 
adays, and  no  woman  has  any  excuse  for  appear- 
ing other  than  at  her  very  best  upon  horseback, 
and  nowhere  when  properly,  snugly,  and  neatly 
<c  turned  out,"  does  she  seem  more  attractive. 

Proper  costume,  equipment,  and  other  details 
199 


FIRST-HAND  BITS  OF  STABLE  LORE 

would  afford  material  for  a  book,  and  there  is 
space  here  to  touch  but  upon  the  merest  out- 
lines of  the  fascinating  art. 

Hair  should  be  tightly  confined ;  derby  or 
sailor  hat  securely  fitted  and  fastened ;  corsets 
loose ;  riding  knickerbockers  roomy,  but  snug  at 
knees ;  better  kept  down  by  a  band  going  under 
the  foot  (inside  the  boot)  which  does  away  with 
all  buttons.  The  habit  should  be  very  smart, 
and  no  matter  what  else  you  economize  on,  go 
to  a  first-class  maker  for  it,  or  for  the  skirt,  any- 
how. A  high  collar  and  plain  tie ;  large,  loose 
gloves  ;  boots  or  gaiters ;  no  flowers,  ribbons,  or 
anything  superfluous  ;  a  useful  straight  whip,  and 
not  a  useless  crop,  and  you  are  ready. 

Your  saddle  should  be  flat-seated,  and  you 
cannot  —  if  it  is  of  this  shape  —  get  it  too  long  ; 
it  will  fit  any  one  else,  tall  or  short.  No  saddle 
should  ever  be  made  any  other  shape,  and  would 
not  be  if  the  public  would  insist.  There  is  more 
money  in  it  for  saddlers,  if  the  model  is  such 
that  each  person  must  be  fitted  and  refitted  with 
increasing  stature  and  weight.  A  child,  and  a 
tall,  stout  woman  can  use  the  same  saddle,  if  the 
seat  is  flat. 

Any  one  can  put  you  on  your  horse,  but  learn 
200 


RIDING   FOR   WOMEN 

to  get  up  yourself  from  the  ground,  not  off  a 
chair  or  fence.  Your  stirrup  girth  should  go 
round  the  horse  and  buckle  to  a  strap  affixed  to 
the  cantle  (the  back)  upon  the  off  side,  so  that 
you  can,  when  mounted,  reach  it  with  your  right 
hand,  and  lengthen  or  shorten  it  at  pleasure.  Let 
it  down  now  six  or  eight  holes  so  that  you  can, 
when  standing,  put  your  left  foot  in  the  stirrup. 
Grasp  the  pommel  in  the  left  hand,  the  cantle 
in  right;  swing  up,  and,  as  you  stand  in  the 
stirrup,  shift  right  hand  to  pommel,  twist  your 
body  to  face  the  horse's  ears,  and  sit  down ;  put 
your  right  knee  over  pommel,  take  up  your 
stirrup  strap  to  proper  place,  put  the  elastic  over 
your  right  heel,  etc.,  to  keep  skirt  down,  and 
pull  that  nicely  straight,  and  you  are  ready  to 
proceed.  Practise  this  until  you  can  do  it  with 
celerity  ;  when  dismounting,  clear  elastics  from 
heels  and  skirt  from  pommel,  swing  to  the  left 
face,  take  pommel  in  right  hand,  and  slide  off. 

Remember  that  nature  gave  you  two  hands, 
and  be  quite  sure  that,  if  you  ride  much,  you 
will  at  times  need  them  both  and  probably  wish 
for  a  few  more.  Don't  hold  your  reins  in  one 
hand  —  you  are  neither  military,  nor  paralyzed 
in  the  right ;  reins  held  in  each  hand  insure  the 

2OI 


FIRST-HAND  BITS  OF  STABLE  LORE 

shoulders  being  square ;  in  one,  their  being 
crooked,  and  the  seat  askew,  after  the  muscles 
tire.  Take  the  reins  in  both  hands,  therefore, 
and  if  you  are  a  beginner  have  only  one  rein, 
and  that  attached  to  a  large  and  easy  leather  or 
snaffle-bit.  You  are  going  to  prove  an  awful 
nuisance  to  your  mount  for  the  next  ten  days  — 
make  him  as  comfortable  as  you  can.  Let  this 
rein  come  through  the  whole  hand  from  outside 
the  little  fingers ;  shut  your  thumb  on  it  where  it 
goes  over  the  first  fingers ;  close  your  fists,  and 
learn  to  keep  them  closed,  not  by  hauling  upon 
the  reins,  but  by  using  the  muscles  given  for  the 
purpose  of  shutting  your  hand.  When  you  can 
ride  for  thirty  minutes  and  keep  your  reins  in 
their  places,  you  have  made  a  big  advance,  and 
one  most  people  never  make  in  a  lifetime. 

Take  the  pommel  exactly  in  the  bend  of  the 
right  knee.  Have  your  stirrup  at  a  height  that 
allows  three  fingers,  or  two  inches,  between  your 
left  knee  and  the  leaping  horn ;  carry  your  left 
foot  back  and  keep  your  heel  down ;  bring  your 
right  heel  also  back  against  the  left  shin,  and 
cultivate  with  care  this  position  at  every  pace,  for 
upon  it  depends  your  security.  This  constitutes 
your  seat,  yet  few  women  have  it  correctly  and 

202 


RIDING   FOR   WOMEN 

the  right  foot  sticks  out  like  a  bowsprit  on  a 
ship,  generally  forced  to  this  attitude  because  the 
saddle  is  too  short ;  the  knee  plays  over  the 
right  pommel  instead  of  holding  it  exactly  and 
firmly  in  the  angle  for  the  same  reason ;  and  be- 
cause the  pupil  does  not  sit  up,  with  hollowed 
waist,  as  she  should.  If  you  have  the  true  seat 
you  can  —  without  stirrups  —  rise  at  the  trot ;  or 
leap,  etc.,  and  be  (unless  the  saddle  chance  to 
turn)  infinitely  more  secure  than  a  man. 

You  should  proceed  at  a  walk  only  for  two  or 
three  days  ;  and  for  only  thirty  minutes  or  so  at 
each  time,  during  which  practise  lying  flat  down 
on  the  horse's  back,  both  when  standing  and 
moving,  bending  far  over  to  each  side  forward 
and  backward,  gaining  all  the  confidence  possible. 
When  beginning  to  trot,  ride  "  close  seat "  (that 
is,  do  not  rise)  at  least  for  a  week,  and  pay  great 
attention  to  sitting  square,  hollowing  the  waist, 
and  inclining  to  the  right  (always  be  able  to  see 
the  horse's  right  foot).  Never  allow  more  than 
the  weight  of  the  foot  in  the  stirrup. 

When  ready  to  learn  to  rise  take  the  reins  in 
the  left  hand,  the  off-pommel  in  the  right ;  lean  a 
little  forward  from  the  waist ;  when  the  horse  gets 
trotting  steadily  begin  to  count,  or  have  a  friend 

203 


FIRST-HAND  BITS  OF  STABLE  LORE 

to  say,  "  One,  two,  three/'  one  count  at  each 
step  or  cadence,  and  as  you  feel  the  impulse 
upward  press  in  the  stirrup  with  the  left  foot; 
on  the  off-pommel  with  the  hand  ;  and  use  the 
right  knee  as  a  fulcrum  —  as  if  the  thigh  were  a 
jackknife  blade  that  hinged  at  the  pommel  of  the 
saddle.  By  these  means  and  by  this  counting  — 
each  count  (as  cc  one  ")  marking  the  rise,  and 
return,  in  readiness  for  the  next  cadence  —  the 
"  posting  "  is  very  easy  to  acquire,  and  in  three  or 
four  trials  you  will  rise  steadily  and  without  effort 
at  the  trot.  Always  remember  to  lean  well  to 
the  right,  watch  your  horse's  off  forefoot  and  re- 
member that  your  knee  on  the  pommel,  and  not 
your  foot  in  the  stirrup,  must  be  regarded  as  the 
lever  which  enables  you  to  thus  rise  and  fall. 

Do  not  try  to  begin  to  rise  the  moment 
the  horse  starts  to  trot ;  "  sit  close "  until 
he  is  underway  and  stepping  evenly ;  do  not 
try  too  hard  to  rise,  but  let  the  horse  put  you  up  ; 
"sit  close"  again  a  few  strides  before  he  comes 
back  to  a  walk.  In  pulling  up  lean  back  from  the 
waist  and  never  forward  over  your  hands,  as  so 
many  do. 

To  canter,  sit  still  and  erect ;  raise  your  left 
heel,  until  your  left  knee  is  up  snugly  under  the 

204 


RIDING   FOR   WOMEN 

leaping  horn,  and  both  horns  in  the  grasp  of  your 
two  knees  ;  lean  over  the  horse's  right  shoulder, 
and  as  you  thus  sway,  bring  your  left  foot  against 
his  ribs,  and  just  move  the  bits  in  his  mouth ;  or 
you  may  touch  him  down  the  off-shoulder  with 
your  whip  so  that  he  may  associate  the  signal  of 
heel  and  stick,  and  canter  finally  from  the  whip- 
tap  alone.  He  should  lead  with  his  right,  and  if 
he  does  not  you  will  immediately  notice  it ;  pull 
up  and  start  again.  Keep  him  up  to  the  bit,  that 
he  may  bend  and  collect  himself,  as  he  must  to 
canter  comfortably  for  you,  and  do  not  let  him 
go  so  fast  that  he  gallops.  It  will  be  hard  for 
you  to  make  him  nicely  perform  this  pace  until 
equipped  with  the  "  full  bridle,"  that  is,  bit  and 
bridooh,  and  in  two  weeks  from  your  beginning 
you  may  probably  be  promoted  to  this  combina- 
tion of  bits  and  reins. 

Most  people  hold  the  curb  reins  inside,  and 
the  snaffle  outside  the  little  finger  (that  is,  in  two- 
handed  riding ;  the  writer  neither  advocates  nor 
will  describe  one-handed  riding,  which  is  utterly 
unnecessary,  and  an  absurd  affectation  in  civilian 
equestrianism).  The  writer  holds  the  curb  out- 
side the  little  finger  of  each  hand  ;  the  snaffle  (or 
bridoon)  between  that  finger  and  the  third  ;  all 

205 


FIRST-HAND  BITS  OF  STABLE  LORE 

reins  going  through  the  hands,  over  the  first 
finger,  and  being  firmly  held  there  by  the  thumbs. 
Thus  arranged,  knuckles  up,  the  bridoon  is 
chiefly  operative,  and  the  horse  faces  that  as  he 
should,  except  when  cantering  ;  a  mere  turn  of  the 
wrist  to  thumbs  up,  however,  and  the  curb  (the 
bit)  comes  into  play  through  holding  the  knuckles 
perpendicular,  and  the  manipulation  of  either 
hand  and  any  rein  is  independent.  The  writer 
does  not  attempt  to  say  which  method  is  right,  but 
gives  his  own  and  the  reasons  for  its  preference. 

Leaping  will  not  be  treated  of  here  ;  that  is  ex- 
clusively the  affair  of  the  girl  and  her  male  rela- 
tives. If  they  can,  after  looking  at  a  side-saddle, 
view  with  equanimity  the  possibility  of  a  fallen 
animal  caparisoned  with  those  formidable  pom- 
mels, rolling  upon  the  prostrate  form  of  wife  or 
sister,  it  is  their  privilege  to  allow  the  casualty  to 
be  tempted. 

Ride  your  horse  with  hand,  whip,  and  heel,  and 
except  for  the  "  whoa ! "  which  should  mean  in- 
stant stop  and  stand,  never  speak  to  him.  People 
who  do  that  sort  of  thing  are  a  nuisance  and  a 
menace ;  their  eternal  chirping  is  affecting  every 
horse  in  hearing.  In  the  same  way  practise  stop- 
ping your  horse,  and  making  him  stand  still  any- 

206 


RIDING   FOR   WOMEN 

where,  not  by  soothing  (?)  words,  etc.,  but  by 
hand  manipulation  of  the  mouth.  Can  you  do 
this  ?  Try  and  see,  and  if  not,  why  do  you  fail  ? 
Remember  your  escort,  and  when  he  dismounts 
to  make  some  change,  etc.,  in  your  equipment, 
do  not  have  him  running  after  you  all  over  the 
street  while  you  vainly  try  to  stand  still  and  wait 
for  him.  Rehearse  this  most  essential  accomp- 
lishment. Make  your  horse  back  properly  ; 
practise  opening  gates,  barways,  etc.,  from  his 
back ;  in  short,  equip  yourself  in  all  methods 
to  be  a  companion  to  those  who  ride  with  you, 
and  not  a  burden,  and  neglect  no  details  that 
will  make  you  independent  of  any  escort  or 
assistance. 

Children,  boys  and  girls  alike,  should  all  learn 
to  ride  astride,  and  the  day  is  coming  when  the 
ridiculous,  unwieldy,  and  unworkmanlike  side- 
saddle will  be  as  much  a  curiosity  as  is  that  of 
"Good  Queen  Bess"  in  the  British  Museum. 
Women  of  all  ages  should  ride  astride ;  it  is 
practical,  modest,  graceful,  and  safe,  although  it 
is  not  probable  that  for  the  average  equestrienne 
the  ordinary  man's  saddle  will  meet  every  require- 
ment of  comfort  and  safety,  and  it  is  upon  this 
feeling  of  assurance  that  the  adoption  of  the 

207 


FIRST-HAND  BITS  OF  STABLE  LORE 

fashion  largely  depends.  For  riding  astride,  a 
woman's  saddle  should  have  a  good  roll  to  the 
knee-pad,  and  probably  another  behind  the  thigh 
would  be  a  help.  Some  modification  of  the  Aus- 
tralian "  bush  "  saddle  would  seem  best  to  meet 
the  requirements,  and  it  is  likely  that,  as  the 
change  finds  general  favor,  such  a  saddle  will  be 
used.  It  is  like  the  ordinary  English  shape,  save 
that  it  has  large  pads  in  just  the  proper  places  for 
feminine  needs,  these  cushions  being  useful  in  sit- 
ting the  "  buck-jumpers  "  abundant  in  that  coun- 
try. 

The  pony  should  be  thin  through  between  the 
knees  of  the  rider,  if  the  child  begins  very  young, 
as  he  should  not,  seven  being  quite  young  enough. 
A  pad  of  steam  felting,  cut  saddle-shape,  and 
girthed  on  with  a  plain  surcingle,  is  the  best 
arrangement  for  juvenile  beginners,  as  it  gives 
the  little  legs  a  chance  to  get  close  to  the  animal's 
sides.  The  small  ponies  are  generally  such  little 
pigs,  mentally  and  physically,  that  nothing  is  to 
be  gained  from  their  use,  and  the  small  and 
narrow  horse  of  14.2  or  so  is  better,  gent- 
ler, and  safer.  After  a  few  weeks  of  the  pad, 
with  easy  bit,  etc.,  for  the  horse  (special  attention 
being  paid  to  square  shoulders,  and  the  natural 

208 


RIDING   FOR  WOMEN 

erect  carnage  which  the  hollowed  waist  insures), 
the  child  may  advance  to  a  saddle  without  stir- 
rups (and  finally  with),  and  these  should  always  be 
open,  large,  and  heavy,  and  the  child's  foot  carried 
"  home  "  in  them,  that  is,  through  to  the  instep. 
The  reason  for  this  is  that  if  the  stirrup  is  held  at 
the  ball  of  the  foot,  and  any  accident  happens,  the 
foot  may  go  either  way,  probably  through ;  but 
if  it  is  worn  "  home,"  the  jar  and  twitch  in  falling 
will  almost  surely  throw  it  out.  No  jockeys  or 
huntsmen,  always  riding  "  home,"  are  ever  hung 
up  and  dragged ;  soldiers  and  civilians  who  insert 
only  the  toe  and  the  ball  of  the  foot,  are  frequently 
so  caught.  This  point  is  most  important,  and 
worthy  careful  investigation. 

Children  should  always  be  superintended  in 
their  rides.  They  are  mischievous,  and  when 
the  novelty  palls,  attempt  all  sorts  of  strange 
experiments  with  their  mounts  which  may  cause 
bad  accidents,  or  they  may  bully  and  punish  their 
charges  to  a  cruel  extent.  A  finished  saddle-horse 
is  not  needed  in  learning  equestrianism  ;  in  fact, 
if  one  begins  with  a  rough  gaited  animal,  and 
gets  along  fairly  well  with  him,  further  advance 
will  be  rendered  much  easier  when  promoted  to 
the  handling  of  an  accomplished  hack.  The 
J4  209 


FIRST-HAND  BITS  OF  STABLE  LORE 

pupil  who  rides  all  sorts,  takes  them  as  they  come, 
and  strives  to  make  the  best  of  them,  will  learn 
vastly  more  of  practical  equestrianism  in  twenty 
lessons  than  she  who  rides  the  same  perfectly 
trained  steed  every  day  for  a  year. 


210 


Chapter  XV 

FOUR-IN-HAND    DRIVING 

IF  one  listen  to  the  average  instructor  in  the 
art  of  driving  four-in-hand,  or  if  he  read 
the  books  and  articles  written  upon  the 
subject,  he  will  become  firmly  imbued  with 
the  mistaken  idea  that  this  accomplishment  is 
most  difficult  to  acquire,  and  most  complicated  to 
apply,  whereas  it  is  one  of  the  very  simplest  feats 
known  to  equestrianism.  Professionals,  however 
expert,  are  generally  inapt  at  explaining  lucidly 
the  "  whys  "  and  "  wherefores,"  the  "  wrong  "  and 
the  "  right "  of  the  undertaking,  and  naturally, 
since  they  have  their  living  to  make  by  such  in- 
struction, it  follows  that  there  is  no  effort  made 
at  undue  haste,  the  object  being  to  carry  the 
pupil  along  as  slowly  as  possible,  and  always  to 
leave  some  further  points  for  experiment  in  order 
that  the  course  of  lessons  may  run  to  as  great  a 
length  as  possible. 

Again,  the  average  "pro"  has  been  taught  by 
rule    of  thumb,  and  has  neither  inclination  nor 

an 


FIRST-HAND  BITS  OF  STABLE  LORE 

much  opportunity  to  inquire  into,  or  practise 
other  methods.  He  has  been  made  to  do  thus 
and  so  because  —  well,  because  that  was  "the 
right  way  to  do  it,"  and  his  teachings  run  along 
similar  lines.  He  also  fears  ridicule  if  he  depart 
from  the  narrow  limits  of  established  usage,  and 
so  do  his  pupils  ;  hence  they  are  as  keen  as  is  he 
in  the  matter  of  discouraging  any  innovations. 

Books  and  articles  upon  four-horse  and  tandem 
driving  err  in  the  same  way ;  instead  of  setting 
forth  fairly  the  advantages  and  disadvantages  of 
different  methods,  they  one  and  all  follow  the 
dead  level  of  what  the  ancient  road-coach  chario- 
teers are  supposed  to  have  done ;  and  there  is  no 
spark  of  originality  to  any  of  their  recommenda- 
tions. They  may  all  be  right,  but  why  are  they 
so?  And  why  is  any  other  fashion  wrong?  The 
limits  afforded  here  are  narrow  for  what  might 
well  be  made  an  elaborate  treatise  with  diagrams, 
etc.,  but  if  one  will  experiment,  one  will  find  that 
there  are  more  ways  than  one  to  hold  reins, 
arrange  loops  and  points,  catch  thongs,  etc.,  and 
realize  that  the  term  cc  correct  form "  is  purely 
arbitrary,  and  that  it  is  quite  possible  to  achieve 
results  in  various  ways,  and  yet  to  appear  "  cor- 
rect" so  far  as  workmanlike  performance  goes. 

212 


u) 

h 

I 


FOUR-IN-HAND    DRIVING 

Why  not  be  independent  and  original  in  all 
things,  thinking  and  acting  for  one's  self,  heeding 
advice  when  found  good,  but  following  only  that 
which  common-sense  and  unbiased  experiment 
prove  to  be  most  natural  and  most  practical  ? 

The  main  thing  about  driving  four-in-hand  is 
to  get  up  and  drive  four  horses,  learning  by  ex- 
perience and  profiting  by  mistakes.  The  man 
who  does  this  and  persistently  keeps  at  it,  with 
all  kinds  of  teams,  will  make  a  far  more  genu- 
inely good  coachman  than  he  of  rule-of-thumb 
methods  and  so-called  scientific  theories  and 
fancy  touches.  There  is  just  so  much  good 
material  to  every  dress ;  the  rest  is  trimmings, 
frills,  and  fallals,  like  the  absurd  "  opposition 
loops "  on  thumb,  finger,  and  wrist,  which  so 
many  of  our  "  flash  "  amateur  and  professional 
whips  essay.  These  gentry  go  through  as  many 
manoeuvres  in  turning  a  corner  as  if  they  were 
playing  a  fiddle  in  a  street  band,  though  it  will 
be  noticed  that  they  generally  take  to  such  antics 
only  when  the  team  is  very  cc  unanimous  "  and 
knows  the  way,  and  the  driver  knows  the  way 
and  knows  the  horses  know  "  the  way."  Other- 
wise, like  the  poor  girl  in  the  song,  whose  cc  shoes 
were  full  of  feet,"  the  steersman's  "  hands  will  be 

213 


FIRST-HAND  BITS  OF  STABLE  LORE 

full  of  reins  "  at  the  last  moment,  and  he  will 
not  improbably  regret  that  he  has  not  at  liberty 
three  pairs  (of  hands),  a  set  of  feet,  and  a  mouth- 
ful of  teeth  to  keep  him  out  of  trouble  and  steer 
him  away  from  the  impending  curbstone  and 
lamp  post. 

Holding  the  reins  over  four  horses  and  escap- 
ing calamity  by  the  aid  of  good  luck  is  not 
driving  four-in-hand,  by  a  long  way,  however 
much  your  instructor  and  your  vanity  may  strive 
to  persuade  to  the  contrary ;  nor  is  handling 
always  the  same  steady,  quiet  team  likely  to  ad- 
vance you  very  far,  as  the  first  "  raw  "  lot  you 
chance  to  take  hold  of  will  prove.  There  is 
nothing  to  be  said  for  and  much  to  be  argued 
against  the  keeping  of  a  regular  team.  Horses,  if 
they  suit  each  other  and  are  properly  "  put  to," 
will  go  as  well  the  first  time  they  ever  see  each 
other  as  they  will  afterward  ;  and  constant  change 
affords  incessant  practice.  A  real  coachman  can 
get  along  with  anything,  and  however  queer, 
they  "  all  look  alike  to  "  him.  As  proper  "  put- 
ting to  "  is  a  matter  of  practice  for  each  individ- 
ual combination  of  horses  and  driver,  we  may 
pass  over  that  part  of  it,  only  pausing  to  remark 
that  all  teams,  once  started,  should  be  given  time 

214 


FOUR-IN-HAND    DRIVING 

to  settle  and  to  show  you  possibly  how  they  like 
things ;  they  may  have  reasons  which  you  don't 
appreciate  (and  be  right  at  that).  Above  all 
things,  don't  be  eternally  changing  couplings, 
bittings,  and  bits.  One  very  well-known  ama- 
teur carries  in  his  coach  a  bag  of  all  sorts  of  bits, 
and  the  occasion  that  does  not  find  him  changing 
them  two  or  three  times  all  round  is  marked  as  a 
day  lost.  If  horses  drive  pleasantly  in  simple 
combination,  let  it  go  at  that,  and  never  provoke 
trouble  that  you  could  have  avoided,  or  tamper 
with  mouths  already  amenable. 

The  horses  "  put  to,"  wheelers  well  poled  up, 
and  both  pairs  coupled  close  (for  a  beginner,  as 
they  turn  and  stop  more  easily),  we  come  to 
the  reins  and  their  manipulation.  The  conven- 
tional method,  acceptably  correct,  is  to  place  the 
near  lead  over  the  left  forefinger,  the  off  lead 
between  the  first  and  second  fingers ;  the  nigh 
wheel  between  the  same  two  fingers,  and  below 
the  off  lead,  and  the  off  wheel  between  the  sec- 
ond and  third  fingers.  The  only  advantage  of 
this  method  is  that  you  may  take  either  pair  back 
a  trifle  more  easily  than  in  any  other  way,  but 
only  a  very  trifle,  and  an  immaterial  one.  The 
loopings  are  made  by  taking  the  desired  rein  in 

215 


FIRST-HAND  BITS  OF  STABLE  LORE 

the  right  hand,  and  drawing  it  back,  making 
the  rein  thereby  short  enough  to  accomplish  the 
intended  turn,  and  confining  it  between  the 
thumb  and  finger  or  the  other  fingers,  according 
to  which  rein  you  loop.  This  loop  is  let  gradu- 
ally slip  as  your  curve  is  made,  and  you  desire 
your  team  to  resume  straight  going.  cc  Opposi- 
tion loops"  are  similarly  made  upon  the  opposite 
wheel  rein  in  order  to  keep  your  wheelers  in 
their  place,  to  prevent  their  following  the  leaders 
too  directly,  and  to  insure  describing  the  graceful 
curve  you  aim  to  accomplish.  These  loopings, 
direct  point  and  opposition,  are  made  in  the  same 
way  when  the  reins  are  held  in  any  one  of  the 
several  other  methods.  In  one  of  these  the  nigh 
lead  goes  over  the  forefinger;  the  nigh  wheel 
and  the  off  wheel  between  the  first  and  second 
fingers,  the  nigh  rein  on  top,  and  the  off  lead 
between  the  second  and  third  fingers.  This 
method  separates  the  two  lead  reins  by  a  wide 
margin,  and  quite  sharp  angles  can  be  made  and 
corners  turned  without  any  looping,  or  touching 
the  reins  with  the  right,  if  the  wrist  is  carried 
right  or  left,  and  the  knuckles  or  the  palm  turned 
up  or  down,  as  the  case  demands.  The  off-lead 
rein  crosses  the  off-wheel  rein  close  to  the  toe- 

216 


FOUR-IN-HAND   DRIVING 

board,  but  this  is  rather  an  advantage,  as,  with  a 
pulling  team,  a  turn  of  the  wrist  gives  one  when 
going  straight  an  extra  purchase  by  the  slight 
binding  of  the  reins.  Another  method  separates 
all  the  reins  with  a  finger  between  each ;  and  still 
another  separates  the  two  wheel  reins  by  the 
second  finger,  while  the  nigh  lead  comes  over  the 
forefinger  as  usual,  but  the  off  comes  in  outside 
of  the  little  finger,  and  through  the  "whole 
hand."  This  makes  looping  difficult,  but  gives 
such  scope  to  wrist  turn  and  movement  that  prac- 
tically loops  are  almost  unnecessary.  Still  an- 
other method  treats  the  wheel  reins  like  the  lead, 
in  the  case  just  cited,  while  the  wheel  reins  "  come 
home  "  as  do  the  lead  in  the  same  case.  Origi- 
nally it  is  said  that  the  wheel  reins  were  made 
just  long  enough  to  reach  the  hand,  and  that 
their  loop  was  taken  in  the  "  full  hand,"  the  op- 
position being  made  by  sliding  the  hand  either 
way.  A  not  improbable  objection  to  this  was 
said  to  be  the  fact  that,  if  a  wheeler  fell  he  pulled 
the  Jehu  off  his  box,  which  result  certainly  had 
its  drawbacks,  especially  if  the  "  monkey  on  a 
stick  "  attitude,  so  fashionable  on  the  box  to-day, 
was  accepted  as  correct  then.  With  all  its  dis- 
advantages it  was  found  very  difficult  to  make 

217 


FIRST-HAND  BITS  OF  STABLE  LORE 

the  jeunesse  dor'ee  of  those  days  abandon  this 
method,  showing  that  fad  is  not  entirely  a  modern 
development.  The  second  and  third  plans  are 
most  useful  if  reins  are  to  be  taken  in  both 
hands,  as  occasionally  they  must  be,  since  they 
are  so  placed  that  separation  into  rights  and  lefts 
is  easy.  However,  perhaps  that  consideration  is 
immaterial,  as  while  we  ridicule  an  equestrian 
who  does  not  ride  his  one  horse  with  two  hands, 
we  jeer  more  loudly  at  the  charioteer  who  does 
not  drive  four  horses  with  one  hand.  Which 
method  you  elect  to  use  is  for  your  personal 
preference  to  decide.  They  all  have  advantages 
and  drawbacks ;  they  are  all  practical  and  proper. 
"  Opposition "  looping  is  a  delusion  and  a 
snare.  The  best  opposition  is  a  turn  of  the 
wrist,  and  the  carrying  of  it  right  or  left  if  your 
wheelers  are  mouthed  and  mannerly;  if  not  a 
touch  of  the  thong  on  the  proper  wheeler's  shoul- 
der prevents  all  trouble,  or  your  right  hand  may 
come  to  your  assistance  if  needed.  You  have  two 
hands,  why  not  use  them  ?  or  you  may  "  oppose  " 
with  the  toe  of  your  boot  if  you  like  ;  undoubt- 
edly the  old-timers  did,  for  with  their  thick  reins 
and  low-grade,  generally  worn-out  horses,  no 
other  "  opposition  "  but  that  of  whip  and  main 

218 


FOUR-IN-HAND    DRIVING 

strength  was  possible.  Leave  the  fancy  "  stunts  " 
to  those  who  drive  for  "  the  gallery/'  and  be  sure 
that  a  genuine  heavy-headed,  tired,  or  awkward 
western  "  bull "  will  play  havoc  with  the  most 
scientific  "  opposition "  loops  ever  constructed. 
If  you  wish  to  play  with  these  toys,  you  may 
"  put  them  on  "  either  between  the  fingers,  caught 
over  the  thumb,  or  round  the  wrist  according  to 
what  you  guess  the  resistance  will  be ;  but  noth- 
ing will  be  said  of  the  details  here,  as  they  are  not 
practically  useful,  but  merely  tricks ;  you  had  as 
well  practise  "  opposing  "  round  your  own  neck 
or  the  box-seat's  off  ear. 

There  are  many  different  ways  to  catch  your 
thong ;  the  main  thing  is  to  catch  it  every  time, 
and  without  effort.  Keep  it  always  soft  and 
pliant,  or  it  is  a  nuisance.  If  you've  never  prac- 
tised it,  just  take  a  whip,  balance  it  nicely,  the 
end  of  the  thong  in  your  hand  ;  don't  look  at  it 
and  make  as  if  to  throw  your  whip  away  to  the 
right,  but  stop  it  suddenly  as  about  to  leave  your 
hand  —  probably  the  thong  is  there  when  you 
look.  Never  "  meet "  it  with  the  stick,  as  you 
will  if  you  look  at  it,  but  throw  the  thong  to  that. 
A  few  turns  the  reverse  way  before  you  throw  it 
will  put  a  few  wraps  on  the  handle,  and  a  kink  in 

219 


FIRST-HAND  BITS  OF  STABLE  LORE 

the  thong  that  will  make  it  twist  and  bind  better ; 
a  few  knobs  on  the  stick  will  make  it  "catch  and 
keep  "  well.  Practise  from  a  horseless  coach  un- 
til you  can  hit  an  imaginary  leader  (off  side  or 
near),  and  always  under  the  bars  or  on  the  shoul- 
der in  front  of  the  pad,  nine  times  out  of  ten,  and 
always  "  bring  the  thong  home  "  with  a  twist  of 
the  wrist  that  will  land  the  end  across  your  chest, 
whence  it  can  be  picked  off  by  the  fingers,  and  the 
thong  replaced  on  the  stick ;  or  you  may,  when 
expert,  "  draw"  the  end  direct  to  your  fingers. 
When  you  hit  any  horse,  hit  him  "  for  keeps," 
and,  if  necessary,  several  times;  if  emergency 
arises,  and  you  have,  some  day,  barely  time  to 
touch  him,  he  will  not  have  forgotten  what  fol- 
lowed on  other  occasions,  and  may  prevent  acci- 
dent by  quick  response.  Under  trees,  or  in 
traffic  it  is  sometimes  handy  to  put  on  a  "  reverse 
thong,"  and  that  is  done  by  simply  chopping  into 
the  loop  as  it  hangs,  throwing  the  stick  to  the 
loop.  This  method  is  not  considered  "good 
form,"  but  as  results  and  appearance  are  the  same 
there  is  no  reason  for  condemnation. 

The  brake  is  regarded  by  some  drivers  —  we 
can  hardly  call  them  coachmen,  for  no  man  can  be 
who  jeopardizes  the  safety  of  others  —  as  a  con- 

220 


FOUR-IN-HAND    DRIVING 

trivance  to  be  used  only  at  a  pinch,  as  when  the 
load  is  getting,  or  has  obtained,  the  best  of  the 
wheelers  on  a  down  grade.  They  will  not  use  it 
otherwise,  but  jar  the  wheel  horses  to  pieces  in 
their  efforts  to  hold  back  a  huge  load  by  their 
necks  (the  breastplates  being  half  the  time  too 
loose  to  afford  any  help),  and  yet  maintain  the 
brisk  pace  demanded ;  nor  will  they  apply  it 
after  pulling  up.  Surely  it  was  meant  for  use, 
and  certainly  it  is  a  labor-saver  and  a  safeguard. 
The  "  old-timers  "  did  n't  have  it,  we  will  allow, 
but  there  were  several  things  they  lacked,  includ- 
ing ingenuity.  Pray  do  not  be  led  astray  by 
such  arguments.  There  has  never  seemed  any 
good  reason  for  working  it  by  hand,  except  that 
no  one  likes  to  incur  ridicule  through  manipula- 
ting it  by  the  foot.  The  hand  lever  is  in  the 
way  ;  it  may  entail  operation  when  the  hand  has 
plenty  of  other  things  to  attend  to,  and  if  it 
"  pushes  "  ( instead  of  "  pulls  "  )  one  must  throw 
his  weight  forward  at  the  very  instant  when, 
through  some  emergency,  he  needs  to  throw 
it  backward  in  pulling  up  his  team.  Is  this  ordi- 
narily practical  ? 

When  ready  to  mount  the  box,  place  the  reins 
in  your  left  hand,  as  you  are  accustomed  to  hold 

221 


FIRST-HAND  BITS  OF  STABLE  LORE 

them  ;  take  each  one  back  separately  until  you 
just  feel  your  horses'  mouths ;  with  your  right 
grasp  the  two  off-reins,  and  carry  your  off-wheel 
coupling-buckle  up  to  the  nigh  coupling-buckle, 
letting  the  off-reins  slip  through  your  left  hand 
for  that  purpose.  Mount  your  box  and  all  reins 
will  be  even,  and  all  horses  "  in  hand."  Sit  down 
deep  and  square  on  the  cushion,  and  put  your  feet 
fairly  forward  in  an  easy  position,  not  cramped 
back  against  the  riser.  Give  your  team  "  the 
office  "  to  move,  and  if  you  suspect  either  wheel- 
horse  of  being  ungenerous,  swing  the  wheelers  a 
step,  so  that  the  free  horse  feels  his  collar  first. 
Many  a  rogue  which  has  made  up  his  mind  to 
either  balk,  plunge  away,  or  throw  himself,  is  so 
disconcerted  by  this  move  that  he  is  underway 
and  in  his  collar  before  he  has  time  to  realize 
what  he  is  doing.  Leaders  of  course  never  start 
a  coach,  unless  the  load  is  so  heavy  that  all  four 
must  act.  If  your  road  is  long,  and  the  team 
getting  tired,  watch  your  chances  to  pick  the  best 
places,  and  if  a  horse  drops  out  of  his  collar  for  a 
few  strides,  let  him  have  his  "  easy  "  and  get  a 
long  breath  or  two ;  ease  them  all  round  if  you 
can  manage  it.  Although,  theoretically  every 
horse  should  be  in  his  place  and  "up  and  doing" 

222 


FOUR-IN-HAND    DRIVING 

all  the  way,  in  practice  you  will  find  that  it  pays 
to  nurse  them  along  now  and  then,  especially  in 
warm  weather,  and  do  not  be  too  persistent  with 
thong  and  voice  with  an  animal  that  hangs  out 
distress  signals.  Nor  is  there  need  to  trot  eter- 
nally, or  to  change  only  by  galloping.  Walking 
a  team  gives  lots  of  good  practice,  and  is  much 
harder  to  perform  properly  than  any  novice  would 
believe.  Galloping  a  team  is  great  fun  for  you, 
but  is  not  a  feat  for  a  light  or  weak  man  to  at- 
tempt. Horses  at  speed  must  "  take  hold  "  a 
little  to  steady  themselves,  and  only  weight  and 
strength  can  long  stand  the  strain.  The  chief 
precaution  necessary  is  to  keep  the  wheel-horses 
galloping  in  stride ;  or,  if  one  strides  the  shorter, 
make  him  by  a  touch  of  the  thong  frequently 
change  his  stride  and  "  get  in "  with  the  other 
horse  for  a  stride  or  two  to  steady  the  coach,  or 
you  will  get  it  swinging  and  may  turn  it  over.  Be 
sure  horses  are  not  too  fresh  when  you  attempt  this 
feat,  or  they  may  get  away  with  you,  and  a  runa- 
way four  makes  nasty  handling,  as  personal  ex- 
perience with  several  has  proved. 

The  best  way  to  bit  a  puller  is  to  let  somebody 
else  bit  him,  and  own  him.  Still  he  may  be  cir- 
cumvented in  various  ways.  The  all-round  nose- 

223 


FIRST-HAND  BITS  OF  STABLE  LORE 

band,  a  strap  with  a  buckle  on  one  side  to  shorten 
it,  and  a  few  links  of  curb-chain  on  each  end, 
should  always  be  on  the  coach.  Hook  a  link  in 
the  curb-hook  of  one  side,  pass  it  across  the  chin 
and  round  the  nose,  inside  the  face-pieces  ;  cross 
the  chin  again  and  hook  it  on  the  other  curb-hook, 
taking  up  snugly  with  the  buckle.  This  closes 
the  mouth,  and  with  a  dropped-bit  or  a  port-bit, 
if  needed,  is  severe.  The  jaw-strap,  a  strap  finger- 
wide,  long  enough  to  go  through  the  mouth,  and 
having  half  a  dozen  curb-links  on  each  end,  is 
excellent  for  a  few  times.  Hook  as  before,  run 
across  chin,  through  the  mouth,  and  across  chin 
again,  and  hook  on  the  opposite  curb-hook. 
These  two  straps  are  invaluable.  Various  ways 
of  using  cords,  etc.,  savor  of  the  "  gyp  "  dealer, 
and  will  not  be  quoted.  The  much-abused  burr 
is  invaluable  at  times,  and  on  certain  heavy-headed, 
one-sided,  bolting,  plunging  horses  will  keep  one 
out  of  many  a  shop  window  and  off  of  many  a 
sidewalk. 

Driving  tandem  has  always  seemed  like  putting 
two  horses  in  line  to  accomplish  a  task  which  they 
could  perform  much  better  abreast.  In  olden 
times  it  was  doubtless  a  handy  method  of  getting 
one's  hunter  to  a  meet,  but  its  pursuit  seems 

224 


FOUR-IN-HAND    DRIVING 

otherwise  to  possess  slight  merit.  It  presents  all 
the  difficulties  and  enhances  all  the  dangers  attend- 
ant upon  driving  four,  and  yet  has  little  of  the 
interest  attaching  to  that  undertaking.  Probably 
no  man  more  surely  tempts  fate  than  he  who 
thus  "  takes  the  air,"  and  may  his  temerity  do 
him  that  much  good.  Two  four-in-hand  leaders 
rarely  decide  upon  the  same  mode  of  procedure 
if  disposed  to  be  light-hearted,  but  help  keep 
each  other  straight.  Your  tandem  advance  guard, 
however,  is  open  for  any  kind  of  deviltry.  How 
on  earth  they  ever  do  manage  to  lead  properly  is 
a  wonder,  and  the  feel  of  the  traces  as  they  hang 
must  in  a  way  act  as  a  guide  as  to  where  the  wheeler 
is,  and  which  way  he  means  to  go,  for  half  the 
time  the  lead  reins  are  slack.  That  was  a  wise 
nagsman  indeed,  who,  asked  as  he  drove  out  of 
the  archway  which  way  he  was  going,  up  or  down, 
replied :  "  Blowed  if  I  know  till  I  get  into  the 
street ;  "  and  that 's  the  worst  of  tandem  driving, 
one  "  can't  pretty  much  always  tell  "  what  will 
befall  the  next  moment.  If  tandems  must  be 
driven  it  is  to  be  hoped  that  the  fad  will  change 
and  allow  breechings  to  be  worn  on  wheel  harness. 
To  ask  a  poor  brute  to  hold  back  by  his  tail  and 
withers  a  thousand-pound  cart  carrying  possibly 

J5  225 


FIRST-HAND  BITS  OF  STABLE  LORE 

eight  hundred  pounds  of  human  beings  ( if  four 
ride),  and  that  down  hills  and  with  a  leader  to 
possibly  snatch  him  onto  his  knees,  is  inhuman, 
and  the  S.  P.  C.  A.  might  well  take  a  hand.  If 
through  any  of  these  reasons  your  wheeler  does 
chance  to  fall,  you  will  certainly  find  the  landing 
on  your  head  and  knees  on  stones  or  macadam 
most  unpleasant,  and  that  is  where  you  must 
bring  up.  Undeterred  by  these  prospects  and 
difficulties,  it  is  a  curious  fact  that  pretty  well  any 
one  will  get  up  and  try  to  drive  a  tandem,  where- 
as if  a  four  is  offered  they  respectfully  decline ; 
the  latter  task  being  infinitely  more  easy  of  ac- 
complishment. 

There  are  many  performances  which  one  may 
go  through  with  by  himself,  or  with  a  friend  to 
prompt,  that  will  forward  him  vastly  in  the  art  of 
driving  a  team.  Driving  figure  eights  at  a  walk 
and  trot  (finally  holding  the  reins  in  one  hand 
only,  and  making  all  turns  by  moving  the  fore- 
arm and  turning  the  wrist  and  hand)  is  splendid 
practice  if  a  broad  road  or  field  can  be  had ;  pull- 
ing up  at  all  sorts  of  unexpected  places,  upon 
signal  from  a  friend  or  servant  on  the  coach ; 
backing  round  in  narrow  lanes  and  yards,  driving 
through  pegs  and  posts  with  many  sharp  turns  in 

226 


FOUR-IN-HAND    DRIVING 

the  course,  etc.,  are  excellent  manoeuvres,  and  make 
a  man  a  better  coachman  in  thirty  days  than  are 
half  the  "  regulars  "  who  have  always  driven  only 
on  the  roads.  Rough  horses,  all  kinds,  are  the 
sort  for  learning  from,  and  the  meaner  the  better, 
provided  you  don't  set  too  much  store  by  paint 
and  varnish,  which  can  always  be  renewed. 
Practice  is  the  only  useful  way  to  make  perfect, 
and  independence  and  sensible  appreciation  of  the 
real  issues  are  the  desirable  qualifications;  com- 
petent performance  is  the  criterion  of  individual 
merit. 

The  driving  of  one  horse  is  nowadays,  with 
most  of  us,  an  acquisition  of  youthful  days,  and 
usually  performed  in  very  slovenly  style.  The 
American  fashion  of  holding  a  rein  in  either 
hand  obviously  does  not  tend  to  that  delicacy  of 
manipulation  which  is  so  essential  to  competent 
performance,  and  the  fashion  of  one-hand  driving 
is  gaining  ground  everywhere.  The  attitude  has 
much  to  do  with  proper  performance,  and  the 
slouchy  charioteer  is  generally  not  driving  his 
horse,  but  "  being  taken  to  ride  "  behind  him. 
Proper  bitting  has  as  much  to  do  with  comfort 
in  handling  one  as  four  horses,  and  is  a  detail 
generally  disregarded,  nor  do  we  appreciate  the 

227 


FIRST-HAND  BITS  OF  STABLE  LORE 

necessity  of  it.  Loopings,  as  with  four  may  be 
used,  and  the  practice  is  excellent.  The  whip  is 
not  merely  an  ornament,  but  an  instrument  in- 
tended to  play  its  important  part  in  the  guidance 
of  the  quadruped,  and  its  manipulation  should 
be  carefully  studied. 

Driving  a  well-mated  and  coupled  pair  is  as 
easy  as  driving  one,  and  the  whole  secret  consists 
in  so  "  putting  them  together  "  that  they  mu- 
tually assist,  and  do  not  obstruct  each  other  at 
their  work.  Bits,  harness,  couplings,  traces,  pole- 
pieces  must  all  be  rightly  fitted  and  arranged ; 
the  horses  must  be  comfortable  to  make  the 
driver  at  ease.  Just  as  one  hand  is  more  sym- 
pathetic with  the  single  horse,  so  are  two  hands 
with  a  pair,  and  most  pairs  are  virtually  so  driven, 
the  right  hand  being  always  near  the  left,  ready 
for  use,  and  frequently  in  use.  As  much  good 
practice  may  be  gained  by  driving  at  a  walk  as  at 
a  trot,  and  it  is  no  easy  matter  to  keep  a  pair 
properly  in  their  places  at  this  gait.  Judgment 
of  distance  is  an  essential  to  be  developed  by 
practising  at  driving  between  pegs,  and  nothing 
looks  worse  than  to  see  a  driver  craning  his  neck, 
and  taking  his  horses  back  to  a  slow  pace  to  pass 
a  vehicle,  or  enter  a  gate  where  practice  should 

228 


FOUR-IN-HAND    DRIVING 

show  him  that  ample  space  was  at  his  disposal. 
No  man  is  driving  who  is  not  ready  to  turn  right 
or  left,  at  any  angle,  instantly  to  pull  up,  and 
promptly  to  increase  his  speed,  and  he  is  no 
coachman  until  he  can  perform  these  feats  easily 
and  gracefully,  his  hands  in  their  proper  place, 
about  opposite  the  fourth  button  of  his  waistcoat, 
and  not  his  chin  nor  his  lap ;  his  arms  hanging 
naturally  from  the  shoulders,  his  position  erect, 
and  his  attitude  easy.  Study  the  methods  of  an 
amateur  accepted  as  proficient,  and  bear  in  mind 
that  your  appearance  has  as  much  to  do  with  your 
reputation  as  a  whip  as  your  actual  performance. 
Space  forbids  extended  commentary  on  this  art, 
which  would  by  itself  fill  a  book ;  and  anyway, 
given  the  few  rudiments,  there  is  no  royal  road 
to  success  but  practice,  diligent  and  incessant, 
and  with  all  kinds  of  horses. 


229 


Chapter    XVI 

COACHING   AND    ITS    ACCOMPANIMENTS 

"  Here  's  to  the  hand  that  can  hold  them  when  gone, 

Still  to  a  gallop  inclined,  sirs; 
Heads  to  the  front,  with  no  bearing-reins  on, 
Tails  with  no  cruppers  behind,  sirs." 

Old  Song. 

IT  is  a  very  curious  thing  that  coaching,  in 
its    most    sporting    development    (as    the 
public),  or  in  its  more  individual  and  ex- 
clusive (as  the  private)  form  has  not  made 
greater  advances  in  popular  favor.     Polo,  hunt- 
ing,  road  driving,  etc.,  all   have  their  adherents 
and  furnish  enthusiasts  in  quantity ;  but  the  use 
of  four  horses  before  an   appropriate  vehicle  — 
coach,   drag,    or    brake  —  while    not    necessarily 
more  expensive  than  the  other  undertakings,  ad- 
vances   in    popularity    with    slow    and    faltering 
strides.     So   far  as   cost   goes,  indeed,   coaching 
may  easily  entail  the  smallest  outlay  of  the  lot. 
Of  course  if  one  is  to  purchase  a  new  coach  at 
$2,500  to  $3,000,  ditto  harness  at  $300  to  $500, 

230 


COACHING 

horses  at  $500  each,  liveries,  etc.,  at  high  rates, 
figures  may  run  to  huge  proportions. 

This  expenditure  is  quite  unnecessary,  how- 
ever, and  a  second-hand  vehicle  at  $400  to  $700, 
harness  at  $100  to  $150,  and  horses  at  $100  to 
$250,  liveries,  etc.,  those  on  hand  (or  even  stable 
clothes  if  desired),  will  afford  quite  as  much  en- 
joyment and  be  just  as  practically  useful,  while 
one's  lead  harness  answers  perfectly  for  pair-horse 
work,  as  will  the  wheel  at  a  pinch ;  or  if  one  has 
two  sets  of  double  harness,  one  set  can  be  easily 
arranged  with  the  proper  spare  lead  terrets  for 
pad  and  bridle,  and  the  others  provided  with  an 
extra  set  of  traces  with  cockeyes,  etc.,  for  lead  work. 
The  horses  may  be  four  odd  ones  (two  pairs,  or  the 
carriages-horses  at  wheel,  and  the  saddle  horses  as 
leaders).  One's  vehicle  also  will  bring  at  any 
time,  and  in  any  reasonably  fair  condition,  about 
what  it  cost;  $500  or  thereabouts  being  a  staple 
buying  or  selling  price  for  a  second-hand  coach 
or  break,  and  readily  obtainable  in  any  market. 

How  much  polo  or  hunting  can  one  enjoy  for 
the  same,  or  less,  money  ?  and  again,  while  these 
two,  or  the  road  driving  of  fast  horses,  are  purely 
selfish  amusements,  a  four-in-hand  enables  from 
one  to  twelve  others  to  enjoy  most  agreeable  out- 

231 


FIRST-HAND  BITS  OF  STABLE  LORE 

ings,  and  their  presence  really  adds  to  the  pleasure 
of  the  owner.  We  have  the  roads  and  the  object 
points  of  romantic,  picturesque,  or  historical  inter- 
est in  most  localities ;  we  have  the  vehicles, 
horses,  etc.,  obtainable  at  trifling  outlay,  and  we 
lack  simply  the  enterprise  and  the  appreciation 
necessary  to  make  the  pleasure  vehicle  drawn  by 
four  horses  as  common  on  our  thoroughfares  as 
the  private  or  public  equipage  of  any  other  type. 
Perhaps,  in  its  private  form,  coaching  has  for 
competitors  too  many  other  attractive  and  rather 
costly  sports  for  it  to  be  more  generally  popular ; 
and  again,  the  driving  of  four  horses  has  been, 
through  lack  of  enterprise,  and  the  machinations 
of  professional  teachers,  who  strive  for  private 
ends  to  encourage  the  belief  that  it  is  an  accom- 
plishment most  difficult  of  acquirement,  held  as  a 
most  serious  and  dangerous  undertaking,  whereas 
it  is  the  acme  of  simplicity  for  any  one  who  can 
successfully  navigate  one  or  a  pair,  and  infinitely 
easier  than  driving  tandem,  which  few  aspiring 
Jehus  hesitate  to  attempt.  Four  horses,  in  a 
way,  combine  to  keep  each  other  in  the  straight 
and  narrow  paths  of  rectitude,  and  even  the 
"rawest "  green  one  finds  plenty  to  attend  to  at 
such  work,  and  has  little  opportunity  for  sky- 

232 


COACHING 

larking.  Moreover,  the  unpretentious  amateur, 
indifferent  to  the  "  appointment  fad  "  and  its  at- 
tending eternal  bother  and  fuss,  has  all  the  best 
of  it,  so  far  as  real  enjoyment  goes,  and  may  pro- 
ceed gayly  on  his  daily  drives,  serenely  indifferent 
to  the  gibes  of  captious  spectators,  taking  his 
pleasure  in  his  own  way,  and  giving  full  sway  to 
the  hardy  individuality  which  should  be  and  gen- 
erally is  his  birthright. 

When  the  cost  of  a  coach-and-four  has  seemed 
prohibitive  to  the  individual,  it  appears  that  a 
"neighborhood  coach"  might  be  both  practical  and 
practicable ;  that  is,  that  a  syndicate  of  neighbors 
could  arrange  to  assume  each  a  certain  part  of  the 
expense  of  purchasing  and  maintaining  such  an 
equipage ;  he  who  provided  one,  two,  or  more 
horses  thus  standing  upon  the  same  footing  as 
the  man  who  paid  as  great  an  equivalent  toward 
the  purchase  of  the  vehicle,  harness,  etc.  These 
subscribers  then  might  have  a  well  appointed 
drag  ready  "turned  out"  for  each  of  them  on  a 
certain  day,  or  days,  each  week ;  and  in  no  way 
can  more  pleasure  be  afforded  to  so  many  people 
at  so  reasonable  a  cost. 

For  the  necessary  attendants  each  man's  servant 
(carried  inside  if  preferred)  would  suffice.  Plenty 


FIRST-HAND  BITS  OF  STABLE  LORE 

of  good  grooms  can  blow  a  "  call "  or  two  on  the 
horn,  and  if  not  an  amateur  can  very  easily  learn 
to  perform —  it  is  all  part  of  the  fun.  If  a  team  is 
kept  especially  for  the  coach,  four  animals  quite 
good  enough  may  be  put  together  for  about  $100 
each,  practically  sound,  good-looking,  free,  and 
pleasant  drivers,  so  that  after  an  original  outlay 
of,  say,  #1,200  for  the  whole  outfit,  an  expense  of 
$4  per  day  for  keep,  and  a  trifle  for  shoeing 
and  repairs,  will  furnish  a  "  neighborhood  "  with 
means  for  six  weekly  outings  at  a  really  trifling 
individual  cost.  Of  course,  it  must  be  agreed 
that  these  daily  drives  are  limited  to  a  certain  dis- 
tance within  the  powers  of  the  animals,  and  it 
should  be  understood  that  any  one  making  longer 
trips  must  provide  his  own  horses.  Therefore, 
for  about  $20  per  month  any  subscriber  may  once 
a  week  take  out  for  a  drive  of  say  ten  miles  a 
party  of  eight  to  twelve  friends,  enjoying  with 
them  a  most  unique  pleasure. 

Public  road  coaching  as  an  amusement  has 
made  a  surprisingly  slight  advance  in  the  affec- 
tions of  Americans,  and  its  perpetuation  is  nowa- 
days seemingly  confined  to  New  York,  the  locality 
of  its  inception  more  years  ago  than  one  cares  to 
look  back  upon. 

234 


COACHING 

These  undertakings  have  almost  invariably 
been  conducted  upon  non-practical  and  most 
expensive  lines,  with  the  natural  result  of  aband- 
onment by  the  backers  who  found  the  debit  side 
too  extensive  to  face  with  equanimity,  and  of  lack 
of  support  from  a  public  which  objected  to  paying 
heavily  for  a  ride  to  a  private  club  wherein  they 
were  tolerated  but  not  encouraged ;  or  to  nearby 
road-houses  where  the  company  was  not  unlikely 
to  prove  miscellaneous,  to  say  the  least,  and  the 
nourishment  simply  awful. 

Practically  managed,  the  sport  is  not  necessarily 
expensive,  and  with  a  more  general  understanding 
of  this  fact,  it  seems  certain  that  the  sound  of  the 
horn  and  the  "  chatter  "  of  the  bars  would  be  very 
generally  heard  upon  the  splendid  roads  which 
lead  from  ail  our  cities  to  nearby  places  of 
interesting  environment. 

If  one  wishes  to  learn  the  art  of  "charioteering" 
from  the  "ground  up,"  to  acquire  a  practical  and 
speedy  knowledge  of  horse  flesh,  its  capabilities, 
limitations,  its  management  and  preservation  in 
health  and  soundness,  to  secure  health-giving 
exercise  in  the  open  air,  to  afford  vast  pleasure 
to  hosts  of  friends  and  acquaintances,  there  is  no 
way  he  may  so  speedily  and  easily  accomplish 

235 


FIRST-HAND  BITS  OF  STABLE  LORE 

these  various  ends  as  by  taking  up  road-coaching 
actively ;  not  as  a  fad,  but  as  a  live  issue,  not  in 
a  desultory  manner  for  a  few  weeks,  but  resolutely 
and  for  extended  periods,  —  for  our  lovely  springs, 
glorious  summers,  and  superb  autumns  are  equalled 
as  a  whole  hardly  anywhere  on  earth,  and  should 
all  be  liberally  utilized. 

To  be  sure,  at  first,  expenses  will  exceed  re- 
ceipts, but  knowledge  comes  quickly,  and  with 
the  personal  attention  all  undertakings  demand 
and  should  receive,  there  is  no  need  for  heavy 
outlay  of  any  sort;  while  increasing  reputation 
for  owning  good  and  well-mannered  horse-flesh 
will  meet  its  due  reward  in  frequent  private  or 
public  sales,  insuring  a  handsome  percentage  of 
profit  upon  the  investment.  The  trouble  with 
most  of  these  undertakings  has  been  that  horses 
were  extravagantly  bought,  badly  managed, 
improperly  handled,  and  speedily  used  up, 
while  at  the  annual  sale  the  anticipated  huge 
profits  failed  to  materialize  in  consequence. 
The  amateur  owner's  "geese  are  all  swans" 
generally,  and  he  scorns  the  "nimble  nine- 
pence  "  of  profit  which  he  should  welcome  with 
eagerness. 

Perhaps  a  few  hints  of  ways  and  means  to  in- 
236 


COACHING 

sure  profit,  or  at  all  events  help  in  preventing 
loss  may  be  of  interest. 

Regarding  the  coach  and  harness :  one  cannot 
go  wrong  if  he  applies  to  any  of  the  leading 
dealers,  either  at  home  or  abroad.  For  horses, 
one  may  go  West  or  East  if  he  prefers,  but  in 
New  York  he  can  find  the  raw  material  better 
broken,  more  nearly  conditioned,  and  cheaper 
than  anywhere  in  the  country,  for  the  reason  that 
farmers  nowadays  know  all  about  market  prices, 
which  are  always  well  kept  up  at  Western  points, 
while  New  York  is  the  "jumping-off  place"  for 
horse-flesh,  and  by  auction  or  private  sale  a 
coach  can  be  horsed  more  cheaply  and  quickly 
there  than  anywhere  else,  while  the  material 
offered  is  sure  to  be  the  best  in  the  country  or  it 
would  not  be  there. 

As  a  rule,  one  makes  a  mistake  in  expecting  to 
get  (or  in  giving,  if  one  is  a  buyer)  fancy  prices 
for  any  animals  which  have  been  regularly  work- 
ing a  coach.  Such  horses  have  generally  one- 
sided mouths,  and  have  banged  their  legs  about 
more  than  a  bit ;  if  they  have  been  the  slow  ones 
of  their  team  they  have  either  been  kept  hopping 
and  skipping  to  keep  up,  until  that  unsightly 
mode  of  progression  has  become  a  habit,  or  else 

237 


FIRST-HAND  BITS  OF  STABLE  LORE 

they  have  galloped  most  of  the  trip ;  not  a  few  of 
them  are  arch  scoundrels  at  "  soldiering "  their 
work ;  that  is,  they  will  not  do  their  share,  but 
shoulder  the  pole  and  their  luckless  mate,  or  learn 
the  art  of  just  keeping  their  traces  straight  and 
not  really  working  at  all.  A  public  coach-horse 
has  been  not  inaptly  described  as  "  an  animal 
which  has  seen  an  unusual  amount  of  grief  in  an 
uncommonly  short  while,"  and  most  of  them  fit 
the  description.  Therefore,  the  low  cost  horse, 
—  not  the  one  which  is  dear  at  $100,  but  the  beast 
that  is  cheap  at  (or  near)  that  figure  —  is  the  one 
likely  to  afford  most  general  ultimate  satisfaction. 
In  a  collection  of  expensive  horses  one  is  sure  to 
acquire  several  gigantic  and  costly  failures,  while 
from  a  similar  bunch  of  low  priced  material  it  is 
not  unusual  to  develop  a  few  really  high  class  and 
valuable  animals.  In  event  also  of  the  inevitable 
accidents,  the  loss  in  the  first  case  is  very  heavy, 
and  must  be  charged  up  against  the  remainder. 

Horses  of  16  hands  should  be  the  limit,  and 
15.2^  will  generally  be  found  more  satisfactory. 
A  "  thick  horse,"  long  and  low,  good  fronted, 
well-shouldered,  deep  hearted,  long  ribbed,  closely 
coupled,  deep  quartered,  short  above  and  long 
below,  standing  square  on  all  his  legs,  and  mov- 

238 


COACHING 

ing  true  in  all  paces — "good  to  meet  and  good 
to  follow" — is  the  sort,  and  beware  the  beast 
who  "  dishes,"  for  he  will  either  tire  quickly  or 
cut  himself  to  pieces.  Refuse  the  dull  horse, 
for  he  will  never  last  the  season,  and  his  faint 
heart  will  cause  endless  trouble.  We  have 
grown  into  the  fashion  of  having  our  road-coach 
leaders  of  a  rather  slighter,  more  "  rangey  "  and 
"  breedy  "  shape  than  our  wheelers,  but  it  is  un- 
doubtedly the  case  that,  when  the  coach  was  the 
only  means  of  public  conveyance,  our  forefathers 
—  whom  we  essay  to  imitate  —  made  no  such 
error,  nor  would  our  light  leaders  have  long  en- 
dured the  heavy  everyday  work  of  big  loads  and 
heavy  roads.  Practically  it  is  far  more  economi- 
cal to  have  your  leaders  more  nearly  of  wheel- 
horse  type  than  is  usual,  so  that  an  animal  may 
work  anywhere  in  a  team,  at  a  pinch,  and  still 
"  mate  up  "  fairly  well.  By  this  means,  with 
five  horses  at  a  changing  station,  every  one  gets 
a  day  off  in  six  besides  his  Sunday,  and  all  hands 
work  "  all  round  the  team  "  to  the  ensuing  im- 
provement of  their  legs,  mouths,  tempers,  and 
condition ;  whereas,  otherwise,  if  you  keep  spare 
horses,  you  must  always  arrange  to  provide  a 
change  leader  and  a  wheeler.  Again,  if  you  have 

239 


FIRST-HAND  BITS  OF  STABLE  LORE 

on  hand  say  twenty  or  thirty  animals,  any  two  of 
which  will  make  a  pair,  the  value  of  your  whole 
stud  is  increased,  both  for  use  and  for  sale 
purposes.  An  additionally  practical  reason  for 
this  ability  to  work  a  horse  anywhere  is  that  one 
may  constantly  arrange  new  combinations,  secur- 
ing thereby  practically  different  teams  to  the 
furtherance  of  his  own  enjoyment  and  practice. 
Let  all  your  stud  be  good-necked  and  up-headed, 
running  up  to  15.3  average.  A  horse  of 
about  that  height  is  always  salable,  whereas  the 
demand  is  limited  for  the  one  an  inch  or  two 
smaller.  Colors  may  be  anything,  and  always 
try  for  a  few  odd-colored  or  flash-marked  ones, 
leaving  out  "  soft "  bays. 

Having  secured  your  "  gee-gees,"  put  them 
through  physic,  trim  them  up,  and  pair  them  off. 
Two  mild  doses  of  physic  are  better  than  a  severe 
one,  and  ten  days  should  intervene.  A  quart  of 
Carron  oil  is  excellent,  or  four  drachms  of  aloes. 
When  you  "pair"  them  off,  mate  them  by 
mouths  and  manners,  rather  than  by  exact  heights 
and  precisely  similar  appearance,  if  you  want  to 
drive  comfortably;  but  of  course  secure  as  much 
similarity  of  make  and  shape  as  possible.  Not 
half  the  preliminary  work  that  is  usually  done 

240 


COACHING 

with  them  is  necessary,  and  "  fresh  "  horses  should 
go  on  the  road  after  three  weeks'  handling ;  they 
will  fall  away  a  little,  but  they  will  quickly  get 
their  flesh  back.  By  the  way,  be  sure  that  all 
collars  are  especially  fitted,  and  that  they  set  very 
snugly  at  first,  as  horses'  necks  and  shoulders  are 
bound  to  shrink. 

A  public  coach-horse  cannot  wear  too  little 
harness  :  bridle,  collar  and  hames  for  leaders  (with 
or  without  trace-bearers,  for  they  do  not  do  much 
good),  wheelers  the  same,  with  the  addition  of 
pads  and  breastplates.  No  cruppers  need  be 
used  at  wheel  if  the  pads  are  provided  with  very 
thick,  broad,  and  long  housings  of  the  heaviest 
felt.  This  will  prevent  the  pad  from  cutting  the 
withers  when  tipped  forward  by  the  up-draft  of 
the  reins  to  the  hands ;  and  in  fact  it  will  not 
so  "  tip  up  "  if  properly  girthed,  unless  by  chance 
some  leader  pull  hard,  not  usually  a  permanent 
feature  of  a  hard  working,  properly  bitted  horse. 
This  reduces  your  trappings  to  first  principles, 
indeed,  and  with  a  spare  check-rein  or  two,  an 
odd  port  bit,  an  "  all  round  nose  "  band,  and  a 
jaw  strap,  etc.,  you  are  fairly  well  provided  so  far 
as  essentials  go ;  rein  and  trace-splices,  spare  reins, 
etc.,  of  course  you  will  have  also.  A  leader 
16  241 


FIRST-HAND  BITS  OF  STABLE  LORE 

which  hugs  its  tail,  or  kicks  when  it  gets  the  rein 
under,  may  be  circumvented  by  fastening  (tempo- 
rarily or  permanently)  a  ring  a  foot  or  two  behind 
the  coupling  buckle  on  the  other  horse,  and  run- 
ning the  awkward  horse's  rein  through  this  ring, 
both  reins  leading  thence  inside  the  wheelers' 
bridles  (not  out). 

"  Putting  horses  together,"  by  which  is  meant 
proper  regulation  of  the  harness,  reins,  and  bits 
to  each  individual  requirement  to  the  subsequent 
general  advantage,  and  the  appropriate  placing 
of  each  horse  in  the  team,  is  a  matter  of  observa- 
tion and  experiment,  and  a  vitally  important  detail. 
Four  horses  comprise  a  team,  but  they  do  not 
necessarily  make  a  team,  by  a  long  way.  The 
alteration  of  a  hole  or  two  in  couplings,  dropping 
or  raising  a  bit, "  roughing  "  or  smoothing,  loos- 
ening or  tightening  of  curb  chains,  taking  up  or 
letting  out  pole  pieces,  low-headed  horses  always 
underneath  in  coupling;  the  whole  team  com- 
pact —  wheelers  and  leaders  close  to  their  work ; 
lead  traces  always  crossed  (to  opposite  bars),  for 
nothing  so  puts  together  a  slug  and  a  free-goer, 
as  any  ploughman  or  teamster  knows.  (This 
may  not  be  "  early  English,"  but  it  is  practical 
and  has  no  drawback,  except  allowing  the  bars  to 

242 


COACHING 

swing  awkwardly  sometimes  at  the  gallop.)  Pole 
pieces  should  be  loose  and  coupling  free  for 
wheel  horses,  closer  for  leaders  ;  and  awkward 
leaders  may  sometimes  be  "  throat-lashed/*  as  it 
is  called,  as  well,  which  puts  their  heads  close 
together  if  inclined  to  pull.  Nosebands  and  jaw- 
straps  are  always  useful  and  often  necessary.  The 
mere  compulsory  closing  of  a  puller's  mouth 
often  renders  him  as  light  and  pliant  as  any. 

Watch  especially  the  top  of  the  neck  and  the 
shoulders,  under  the  hames  drafts,  for  chafing, 
and  be  sure  that  the  sweating  shoulders  are  im- 
mediately well  sponged  with  cold  water,  which 
will  close  the  pores.  Let  every  horse's  bridle  fit 
him  (especially  the  wheelers),  and  every  one's  bit 
be  of  the  make,  shape,  and  width  which  suits 
him  best.  Browbands,  especially,  are  often  too 
small,  too  sharp-edged ;  blinkers  set  too  close ; 
throat  lashes  are  too  short,  or  the  whole  bridle 
moves  or  chafes  when  the  lead  reins  play.  Your 
horses  must  work  hard,  make  them  comfortable 
every  way  you  can  think  of,  and  don't  "  pooh- 
pooh  "  anything  you  have  not  tried. 

Never  economize  on  stable  help,  and  always 
arrange  to  drop  in  on  them  at  all  sorts  of  un- 
expected hours,  day  or  night.  Many  a  road 

243 


FIRST-HAND  BITS  OF  STABLE  LORE 

coach  horse  spends  his  "leisure"  (?)  time  in  work 
of  various  kinds,  from  which  his  care-taker 
profits,  and  the  constant  eye  of  the  owner,  or 
some  capable  representative,  is  the  only  thing  to 
keep  horses  and  men  up  to  the  mark.  A  team 
running  on  a  local  coach  was  found  to  be  very 
thin,  whereas  all  the  other  horses  on  the  road 
held  their  flesh.  Not  until  after  the  sale  was  it 
found  that  the  poor  brutes  had  never  been  fed  in 
the  middle  of  the  day,  the  grooms  at  each  end 
of  their  stage  "  supposing "  that  the  others  had 
fed  them  while  the  master  knew  nothing  about  it 
personally,  but  left  all  to  chance. 

Teams  should  never  be  changed  at  their 
stables,  but  the  fresh  "  change  "  led  out  at  least 
half  a  mile,  so  that  they  may  be  well  "  on  their 
feet "  and  ready ;  while  the  old  team  so  thor- 
oughly "  cools  out "  and  tranquillizes  heart  and 
respiration  in  its  walk  home,  that  no  harm  can 
come  to  it.  Grooms  may  object,  but  that  is 
of  little  moment,  and  many  a  possibly  damaged 
horse  will  be  saved. 

With  a  "  long  ground,"  that  is,  a  stage  which  a 
fresh  team  works  each  way,  to  change  the  teams 
to  every  few  weeks,  horses  last  much  longer.  No 
cold-blooded  horse  can  long  endure  being  thor- 

244 


COACHING 

oughly  exhausted,  and  regularly  "  done  up  "  twice 
each  day,  as  he  must  be  in  the  ordinary  stages 
where  he  works  both  ways ;  and  a  change  to  the 
"  long  ground,"  which  he  travels  but  once  (al- 
though over  a  longer  distance),  will  do  him  as 
much  good  as  having  the  spare  wheeler  or  leader 
to  work  "  turn  about "  on  the  double-trip  system. 
Four  horses  managed  thus  will  do  better  than 
five  worked  in  the  ordinary  manner. 

Horses  should  be  kept  naturally  also,  and  the 
swaddling  process  of  heavy  blankets  and  closed 
windows,  which  the  average  groom  insists  upon, 
be  sternly  forbidden.  When  in  rugged  health  a 
horse  needs  and  will  endure  great  apparent  ex- 
posure, and  once  he  is  thoroughly  "  cooled  out" 
clear  through,  vitals  and  all,  he  cannot  have  too 
much  air  and  too  few  clothes,  which  means  none 
at  all.  Learn  of  the  trainers  of  thoroughbred 
race  horses  on  this  point,  and  keep  your  animals 
naturally  cool,  airy,  well  bedded,  and  well  fed, 
plenty  of  hay  and  all  the  water  (at  temperature 
of  air)  they  can  drink  whenever  they  want  it. 
No  horse  can  eat  well  and  do  well  if  he  does  n't 
drink  well,  and  don't  imagine  that  he  is  not  to 
have  it  when  he  is  warm.  You  do  yourself, 
and  you  need  n't  fear  for  him,  providing  circula- 

24S 


FIRST-HAND  BITS  OF  STABLE  LORE 

tion  and  respiration  are  tranquil  and  the  water  has 
the  chill  off.  In  fact,  in  all  dealings  with  horses 
disregard  tradition  and^  hearsay,  and  be  governed 
by  common-sense  and  ordinary  intelligence. 

Toward  the  securing  of  first-class  "  condition  " 
nothing  is  more  essential  than  properly  cared  for 
teeth  and  regularly  assimilated  food  and  drink ; 
toward  its  maintenance  nothing  is  more  indispen- 
sable, if  the  season  is  long,  the  roads  and  loads 
heavy,  and  the  drivers  changeable  and  not  crack 
performers,  than  the  proper  use  of  powerful  tonics 
like  quinine  and  arsenic,  especially  quinine.  This 
will  cause  expressions  of  indignation,  perhaps  ;  but 
if  so,  it  will  come  from  people  who  have  never  had 
to  keep  low-bred  horses  on  their  feet  and  in  good 
condition  throughout  hot  weather  at  this  most 
exhausting  work ;  or  who,  if  they  have  done  so 
successfully,  have  profited  by  the  use  of  tonics 
administered  without  their  knowledge.  Properly 
used  (mark  "  properly  used  "),  no  drugs  are  more 
generally  and  directly  beneficial  or  more  harmless. 

Horses  need  change  of  scene  and  the  oftener 
the  better.  However,  every  coachman  quickly 
finds  this  out,  for  there  is  nothing  more  monoto- 
nous than  driving  teams  that  know  their  run  to 
an  inch,  cutting  all  corners  and  quickening  or 

246 


COACHING 

slowing  their  pace  like  machines.  Horses  gain 
spirit  and  flesh  at  once  when  changed  about,  and 
a  general  shift  every  two  weeks  greatly  enlivens 
matters. 

Above  all,  a  road-coach  should  go,  must  go, 
a  good  pace,  and  nothing  is  more  tiresome  or 
less  sporting,  than  the  funereal  progress  pursued 
by  the  average  public  conveyance.  As  "  speed," 
"  speed,"  and  "  more  speed "  are  the  essentials 
for  a  race-horse,  so  are  they  for  a  successful  coach, 
and  if  this  is  not  to  be  the  characteristic,  the 
whole  enterprise  is  best  left  alone.  Better  five 
miles  at  a  clipping  pace  with  one  than  twenty  with 
three  or  four  teams  at  a  jog  trot;  just  fast  enough 
to  eat  your  own  dust,  and  the  freight  praying  for 
the  (and  your)  end. 

Perhaps  an  approximate  table  of  expenses  for 
running  a  road-coach  for  a  short  season,  using  three 
changes  (four  teams),  may  be  interesting,  and  the 
monthly  sheet  would  figure  about  as  follows : 

Keep  twenty  horses  @  $1.00     .      .      .      .  $600.00 

Shoeing,  etc 40.00 

Two  grooms  @  $40 80.00 

Guard 55-°° 

Repairs  and  incidentals 25.00 

$800.00 
247 


FIRST-HAND  BITS  OF  STABLE  LORE 

To  this  must  be  added  about  $60  if  a  super- 
intendent is  employed ;  about  $40  for  cc  cock- 
horse boy/'  if  one  is  used,  and  other  needless  items 
may  run  it  up  to  $800  or  more  per  month.  If, 
however,  the  promoter's  heart  be  in  the  under- 
taking, he  will  act  as  his  own  superintendent, 
hire  cheap  stabling,  feed  his  own  horses,  shoe 
them  with  tips,  •  and  economize  vigorously  and 
wisely  everywhere,  his  sheet  running  about 
thus  : 

Feed  and  care  twenty  horses  @  .50        .        $300.00 
Stall-room  @  $4  per  month,  per  horse    .      .      80.00 

Shoeing 10.00 

Guard 55-o° 

Repairs 15.00 

$460.00 

This  assumes  that  he  also  keeps  his  horses 
in  such  condition  that  little  or  no  veterinary  at- 
tendance is  required.  His  horses  ought  not 
to  cost  him  over  $100  per  head,  and  if  he  will 
"  take  'em  as  they  come,"  as  a  road-coach  should, 
he  will  find  no  trouble  in  securing  free-going, 
easy-driving  teams,  whose  occasional  infirmities 
of  temper  it  will  prove  both  amusing  and  in- 
structive to  combat.  If  horses  are  sold  at  pri- 
vate sale  out  of  the  different  teams,  it  will  also 

248 


COACHING 

prove  more  generally  remunerative  than  an 
auction,  and  useful  horses  in  hard  condition 
are  always  in  demand  at  fair  prices.  Such  fig- 
ures are  all  that  the  proprietor  should  strive  to 
secure  as  a  general  thing,  although  occasionally 
he  can  mate  up  a  pair  that  will  bring  him 
excellent  returns. 

He  should  also  be  able  to  secure  concessions 
(in  the  way  of  keep,  percentage,  etc.)  from  the 
hotels  whence  he  starts  and  where  he  finishes.  It 
is  all  business,  and  if  he  brings  trade  to  various 
hostelries,  he  should  claim  his  share,  especially  as 
his  freight  generally  spends  money  freely.  To 
popularize  his  route,  he  will  do  well  to  reduce 
prices  of  transportation  to  the  lowest  limit, 
compatible  with  earning  a  fair  profit  on  his 
outlay  of  time  and  money.  The  average  prices 
are  excessive,  and  the  expenses  of  two  persons 
in  a  coach  trip  to-day  will  draw  heavily  upon 
a  twenty-dollar  bill,  while  were  the  cost  $10.00 
or  less  many  more  would  take  passage.  The 
average  party  also  finds  a  good  road  house 
or  hotel  far  more  agreeable  as  a  destination 
than  a  private  club  wherein  they  do  not  feel 
at  home,  must  submit  to  certain  restrictions, 
and  figure  neither  as  active  members  nor  priv- 

249 


FIRST-HAND  BITS  OF  STABLE  LORE 

ileged  guests.  The  existence  of  these  condi- 
tions has  greatly  affected  the  popularity  of  this 
glorious  sport,  and  the  average  "  public "  is 
masquerading  under  a  false  title,  and  is  such  in 
name  only. 


250 


Chapter    XVII 

MANAGEMENT   OF   A    PACK   OF   HOUNDS 


"         A       HUNTING   we    wil1   £°>"    as   runs 
/^         the    old    English    roundelay,    can 

/""  "%^  hardly  be  read  by  even  the  most 
phlegmatic  without  a  stirring  of 
the  pulse,  and  an  indefinite  wish  that  one  had, 
"when  all  the  world  was  young,  boys,"  turned 
more  attention  to  the  joys  and  perils,  the  tri- 
umphs and  the  vicissitudes  of  such  outdoor 
pursuits.  Involuntarily  one  straightens  the  droop- 
ing shoulders,  and  expands  the  chest  which,  all 
too  seldom,  rejoice  in  such  novel  sensations  ; 
and  a  sigh  of  regret  at  opportunities  lost,  dis- 
misses an  idea  which  might,  under  proper  culti- 
vation, result  in  endless  benefit  to  even  the  man 
of  middle  age,  or  worse,  would  he  but  cast  aside 
the  clogging  fetters  of  indolence,  and,  accepting 
the  goods  the  gods  provide,  fare  him  forth  to 
undertakings  which  would  prove  as  healthful  as 
inexpensive,  and  as  fatal  to  his  increasing  girth 

251 


FIRST-HAND  BITS  OF  STABLE  LORE 

and  advancing  decrepitude  as  they  would  be 
beneficial  to  his  welfare.  To  such  an  one,  as  to 
those  in  the  flush  of  youth  and  vigor,  any  and 
all  methods  and  means  of  securing  outdoor  exer- 
cise should  be  welcome,  and  would  be  so  did  they 
but  realize  the  possibilities  at  their  hands  in  this 
great  country  of  ours.  "  The  man  on  horseback 
rules,"  as  some  wise  tactician  has  sensibly  re- 
marked ;  and  what  is  true  of  nations  applies  as 
well  to  individuals.  "  There  is  something  about 
the  outside  of  a  horse  that  is  good  for  the  inside 
of  a  man,"  as  Dr.  Oliver  Wendell  Holmes  so 
wittily  and  pithily  put  it,  and  he  who  takes  the 
prescription  will  surely  endorse  it.  To  the  nov- 
ice —  and  these  articles  are  meant  to  interest  the 
"  new  hand  "  —  and  the  neophyte  who  is  recom- 
mended horseback  exercise  ;  or  to  the  faddist  who 
takes  it  up  as  a  caprice,  the  humdrum  monotony 
of  riding-school  and  bridle-path  equestrianism  is 
as  dull  as  a  sermon  with  fourteen  sub-heads. 
Once  enlisted  at  this  branch  of  sport,  the  recruit 
must  be  kept  interested,  or  he  returns  quickly  to 
his  shell,  never  again  to  be  tempted  forth.  To 
such,  as  to  the  adept,  drag  hunting  over  a  coun- 
try that  is  fair,  and  rideable  for  the  moderate  per- 
former, affords  a  mode  of  delightful  enjoyment 

252 


THE    MANAGEMENT   OF    HOUNDS 

that  is  as  little  appreciated  as  it  is  rarely  adopted ; 
while,  that  the  ladies,  the  children,  and  the 
"  road  delegation "  may  be  provided  for,  the 
course  may  always  be  laid  parallel  to,  or  con- 
stantly crossing,  various  roads,  that  the  spectacle 
may  be  visible  to  all.  Such  gallops  need  occupy 
but  a  trifle  of  time,  from  forty  to  sixty  minutes, 
and  it  is  perfectly  possible  to  so  arrange  matters 
that  within  those  times  hounds  may  have  covered 
a  fair  space  of  country,  and  at  a  rate  of  speed 
which  changes  the  usual  afternoon  or  morning 
trot  and  canter  into  a  delightful  brisk  hand  gal- 
lop, as  beneficial  to  beast  as  exhilerating  to  man. 
Suitable  country  for  such  undertakings  abounds 
everywhere  in  America,  and  may  often  be  found 
close  to,  or  inside  of,  the  limits  of  even  large 
cities.  Farmers,  as  a  rule,  never  object,  especially 
where  the  hunt  carefully  and  immediately  repairs 
all  smashed  fences,  but  enjoy  with  their  families 
the  novel  and  picturesque  sights  such  runs  afford. 
Wire  may  always  be  dodged  in  such  hunting, 
and  if  it  is  very  prevalent,  arrangements  can 
always  be  made  to  substitute  a  panel  or  two  of 
negotiable  rails  here  and  there  in  the  line  which 
is  to  be*  followed,  while  purchase  of  hay,  grain, 
and  other  commodities,  even  at  slightly  better 

253 


FIRST-HAND  BITS  OF  STABLE  LORE 

than  market  rates,  will  do  much  to  cement  good 
feeling,  and  may  be  considered  as  return  in  part 
for  the  privileges  which  the  hunt  enjoys.  Of 
course,  gardens,  new  seeding,  grain  fields,  etc., 
must  be  sacred  ;  but  here  again  the  "  dragman  " 
can  easily  arrange  his  journey  so  that  no  harm 
shall  ensue,  and  pasture,  meadow,  and  lane  only 
be  encroached  upon. 

Wholly  false  ideas  are  entertained  regarding 
the  cost  of  such  undertakings,  the  original  outlay 
necessary,  and  the  expense  of  maintenance.  The 
whole  matter  need  run  to  but  small  figures,  and  the 
spring,  and  fall  (and  summer's)  hunting  entails  but 
a  mere  bagatelle  of  outlay.  If  puppies  are  to  be 
bred  and  "  walked,"  if  high-cost  horses  are  kept, 
high-class  servants  employed,  and  costly  kennels 
built,  money  to  any  amount  may  be  "  chucked  " 
away  ;  but  no  such  plans  are  contemplated  here  — 
merely  a  rough-and-ready  establishment,  which 
shall  provide  the  maximum  of  fun  at  the  mini- 
mum of  expense,  unpretentious,  amateurish,  and 
the  more  amusing  for  that  reason.  Hound  pups 
are  most  difficult  to  rear,  because  of  distemper, 
and  the  mortality  is  always  enormous  among 
them,  while  many  which  survive  the  disease  are 
either  crippled  or  worthless  ;  cheap  hunters,  that 

254 


THE   MANAGEMENT   OF   HOUNDS 

can  do  other  "  slave  "  harness-and-saddle  work  at 
any  time  are  indicated,  and  will  provide  as  much 
sport  as  the  expensive  sort ;  while,  if  accident 
occur,  the  loss  is  small.  Servants  need  be  few  in 
number  ;  in  fact,  one  man  who  lays  the  drag, 
feeds  the  hounds,  cares  for  the  hunt-horses,  etc., 
is  all  sufficient,  assisted,  if  an  amateur  does  not 
"  whip-in  "  to  the  amateur  master,  by  a  light  lad, 
who  can  ride  a  little,  and  help  about  the  stables 
and  kennels.  One  man  will,  however,  do  all  the 
work,  —  the  three  or  four  hunt-horses,  the  six  to 
ten  couple  of  hounds,  etc.,  —  and,  if  an  active 
and  lively  fellow,  as  any  servant  should  be,  do  it 
well. 

Horses  may  be  picked  up  at  all  sorts  of  prices, 
but  it  is  very  easy  to  obtain  in  the  auction  marts 
(of  the  east,  at  least)  any  quantity  of  good,  safe, 
useful  "  gee-gees,"  able  and  trained  to  jump  well, 
gallop  fairly,  work  in  harness,  etc.,  perhaps  not 
all  clear  and  clean  in  their  legs,  but  bearing 
"  honorable  "  scars  only,  emblematic  of  disaster 
in  flood  and  field,  and  fully  competent  for  the 
work  in  hand.  Such  animals  run  all  the  way 
from  $50  to  lifo,  although  if  a  man  is  very 
heavy  he  may  have  to  pay  rather  more  for  some- 
thing up  to  his  weight.  The  light  and  the 


FIRST-HAND  BITS  OF  STABLE  LORE 

middle  weight  (lucky  men  !)  may  easily  mount 
themselves  for  about  these  figures  ;  but  of  course 
when  they  promote  themselves  to  a  fast  pace  and 
a  big  jumping  country,  they  must  expect  to  pay 
accordingly.  We  are  not  now  considering  those 
matters,  but  providing  for  a  line  where  fences  do 
not  run  (or  need  not  run)  over  three  feet  six 
inches  to  four  feet,  as  a  general  thing,  that  be- 
ginners may  be  encouraged,  and  not  dismayed 
or  hurt  by  celerity  of  progress  or  altitude  of 
obstacle. 

"  Draft  hounds  "  may  be  procured  from  any 
established  pack  for  next  to  nothing,  often  two  or 
three  dollars  each,  especially  if  several  couple  are 
taken,  and,  for  a  beginning,  almost  "any  old 
thing"  that  will  gallop  and  hunt  will  answer. 
"Babblers,"  "skirters,"  non-hunters  (so  that  they 
go  along  with  the  rest),  anything  will  do  at  first, 
and  as  experience  teaches  and  knowledge  increases, 
so  the  pack  may  be  re-drafted  and  improved  along 
reasonable,  sensible,  and  economical  lines.  Eng- 
lish hounds  are  always  to  be  preferred  for  such 
work,  and  for  the  handling  of  the  neophyte 
master,  as,  both  by  inheritance  and  education, 
they  "pack"  better,  are  more  manageable  on 
road  and  in  kennel,  more  picturesque  in  appear- 


THE    MANAGEMENT    OF   HOUNDS 

ance  and  more  easy  to  obtain.  They  do  not 
give  tongue  like  the  American  hounds,  but  they 
make  music  enough,  and  as  your  drag  need  not 
run  through  large  woodlands,  the  field  is  in  no 
danger  of  losing  them  if  they  keep  anywhere 
near  at  hand.  The  American  hound  will  stand 
no  knocking  about;  a  whip  crack  or  a  harsh 
"  rate,"  and  he  is  off  home ;  he  can  rarely  be 
handled  on  the  roads  unless  coupled,  and,  once 
the  run  is  over,  will  march  away  to  kennel  by 
himself,  while,  if  the  whip  tries  to  "  turn  him  to  " 
the  master,  he  is  lucky  if  he  gets  to  him  within 
the  limits  of  the  county.  In  kennel,  also,  they 
are  shy  and  discontented.  After  our  wild  foxes 
the  American  hound,  with  his  wonderful  nose, 
his  patience,  his  pace,  and  his  conversational 
powers,  is  unapproachable,  but  he  insists  upon 
handling  the  job  his  own  way,  and,  be  you  ever 
so  intimate  with  him,  resents  your  interference 
with  his  business  firmly  and  immediately,  nor, 
once  he  has  left  off  through  your  officiousness, 
will  he  begin  again,  that  day  at  least.  English 
hounds  may  be  "  rated,"  thrashed,  ridden  over, 
"  lifted,"  cast  and  banged  about  any  way  you  like, 
once  get  them  on  the  line  again  and  they  go 
cheerfully  on  their  way,  "  'owling  'orribly,"  as  the 
17  257 


FIRST-HAND  BITS  OF  STABLE  LORE 

nervous  old  lady  said,  but  plugging  along  to  the 
end,  where  six  pounds  of  a  bullock's  neck  seems 
to  afford  them  as  much  gratification  and  amuse- 
ment as  if  they  had  run  into  the  "little  red  rover" 
himself.  A  mixture  of  the  two  kinds  never 
proves  satisfactory,  and  provides  a  pack  which 
spreads  over  a  forty-acre  field,  some  on  the  line, 
and  some  yards  and  furlongs  down-wind  of  it. 

Of  course,  after  a  time  some  (the  majority) 
of  your  "  mottled  darlings  "  will  lose  interest  in 
hunting,  and  will  become  quite  worthless,  save  as 
an  addition  to  numbers.  Generally  these  old 
stagers  are  incorrigible,  but  occasionally  (if 
thought  worth  while)  they  may  cc  come  again  " 
if  loaned  to  some  sportsman  for  the  winter  who 
shoots  rabbits,  etc.  Worked  on  the  "  bunnies," 
and  allowed  to  kill  and  to  taste  fresh  blood,  some 
of  them  will  become  keen  again,  but  draft  hounds 
are  so  cheap  and  plentiful  that  it  is  rarely  worth 
while  to  bother.  It  is  often  possible  to  thus  lend 
your  hounds,  or  some  of  them,  to  various  farmers 
who  employ  their  leisure  time  in  winter  in  shoot- 
ing, and  thereby  the  expense  of  keeping  them  is 
saved  to  you,  while,  as  you  only  run  a  drag,  it  is 
quite  immaterial  what  your  charges  fancy  as  long 
as  they  leave  sheep,  calves,  and  chickens  alone. 


THE   MANAGEMENT   OF    HOUNDS 

A  drag  pack  of  six  couple  is  plenty  large 
enough  for  ordinary  occasions ;  holidays  and  fete 
days  you  may  turn  out  the  whole  lot  of  ten 
couple  or  thereabout.  A  big  lot  of  such  hounds, 
which  is  bound  to  contain  some  stragglers,  gets 
under  horses'  feet  at  the  fences,  and  is  a  nuisance 
generally,  and  besides  it  is  far  easier  to  get  a  small 
lot  to  "  pack  "  well  and  run  properly  than  a  large 
one,  and  as  galloping  and  jumping  is  the  main 
issue,  superfluous  hounds  should  be  avoided. 
There  is  nothing  to  be  gained  by  a  big  pack,  and 
ten  couple  will  easily  give  you  a  working  detail 
of  six  or  seven  couple  for  three  days  a  week,  or 
more  if  you  have  time,  for  after  all,  there  was 
something  in  the  oft-quoted  remark  of  the  hard- 
riding  English  lordling,  after  a  "  lark  home  "  fol- 
lowing a  blank  day  :  "  There  !  you  see  what  fun 
we  might  have  if  it  wasn't  for  those  d — d 
hounds  !  "  For,  of  course,  in  America,  hounds 
must  be  but  the  material  means  to  the  end  of  a 
good  gallop,  that  being,  alas  !  about  all  we,  most 
of  us,  have  either  time,  inclination,  or  opportunity 
to  accomplish,  nor  would  the  average  impetuous 
national  character  have  patience  to  potter  about 
all  day. 

As  to  kennels,  hounds  do  well  in  very  rough- 
259 


FIRST-HAND  BITS  OF  STABLE  LORE 

and-ready  quarters,  so  long  as  they  are  reasonably 
cool  in  summer,  and  free  from  damp  in  winter. 
Stone  structures  are  distinctly  to  be  avoided,  at 
least  for  winter  use,  and  any  hovel  which  has  a 
good  height  of  roof  and  does  not  leak  will  answer 
all  purposes.  It  should,  of  course,  have  at  least 
one,  and  preferably  two,  shady  yards  of  fair  size, 
and  the  building  itself  should  be  divided  into  two 
rooms,  a  feeding  and  a  sleeping  apartment,  the 
latter  provided  with  slatted  benches,  about  two 
feet  from  the  ground,  which  will  either  fold  up 
against  the  wall  or  take  out  entirely,  so  that  per- 
fect cleanliness  and  disinfection  may  be  assured. 
While  washing  down  and  sweeping  will  work  well 
for  at  least  seven  months  in  the  year,  any  damp- 
ness is  very  bad,  in  winter,  at  least,  in  the  sleep- 
ing quarters,  and  the  disinfected  sawdust  which 
may  be  obtained  in  barrels  answers  all  purposes 
better  if  it  is  liberally  used,  and  swept  out  with 
a  very  stiff  broom  daily.  Hounds  are  fairly  tidy 
if  given  constant  access  to  a  yard,  but  some  are 
incorrigible  offenders  and  defile  everything.  For 
this  reason  the  drinking  water  should  be  renewed 
several  times  daily,  and  preferably  arranged  so 
that  the  animals  must  stand  on  their  hind  legs  to 
reach  it.  Straw  makes  an  excellent  bedding  to 

260 


THE    MANAGEMENT   OF   HOUNDS 

scatter  over  the  benches,  but  it  should  be  fresh- 
ened daily  and  renewed  entirely  every  few  days, 
while  by  body  dressing  and  the  use  of  insecticides, 
constant  warfare  must  be  waged  upon  fleas.  The 
feeding  room  will  need  the  same  treatment,  only 
that  its  floor  and  troughs  must  be  kept  scoured, 
and  the  troughs  always  set  out  in  the  sun  daily 
and  never  allowed  to  sour.  Everything  about 
kennels  should  be,  and  can  be,  as  sweet  as  a  rose, 
and  any  offensive  odors  pay  eloquent  tribute  to 
negligence  and  want  of  care,  not  only  from  the 
kennel  man,  but  from  the  master.  Any  man  who 
takes  animals  in  his  charge,  and  does  not  properly 
care  for  them,  is  worse  than  a  beast  himself. 
The  extraordinary  odors  emanating  from  the 
kennel  and  cook-room  (and  hounds  themselves) 
of  some  very  pretentious  packs  are  an  insult  not 
only  to  the  defenceless  animals,  but  to  all  the 
members  of  the  hunt  whom  the  master  thus  wil- 
fully neglects.  Hounds  bearing  traces  of  mange 
and  other  skin  disease,  blear-eyed  and  rough- 
coated,  are  also  by  no  means  uncommon.  Every 
one  should  receive  a  body  dressing  with  a  rough- 
ish  brush  and  a  cloth  "  swipe  "  every  day  of  his 
life,  and  will  learn  to  enjoy  it  as  much  as  a  horse, 
while  by  this  means  every  little  abrasion  of  skin, 

261 


FIRST-HAND  BITS  OF  STABLE  LORE 

etc.,  is  noticed  and  may  be  at  once  attended 
to.  A  large  pail  should  be  kept  in  the  kennel 
containing  the  following  mixture  and  provided 
with  a  good  big  stiff  paint  brush  to  rub  the  dress- 
ing on  and  in : 

Crude  petroleum 2  quarts 

Oil  of  tar 2  pints 

Flowers  of  sulphur 4  pounds 

Turpentine \y2  pints 

Use  this  whenever  there  is  any  redness  of  the 
skin,  or  cuts ;  it  will  make  the  victim  sing  out  for 
a  few  moments,  but  it  will  cure  anything  from 
mange  down. 

In  dry,  hot  weather,  hounds  are  very  apt  to 
get  tender-footed  as  their  pads  wear  pretty  thin, 
and  a  pickle  of  strong  brine,  in  which  their  feet 
may  be  placed  for  a  few  moments  daily  is  excel- 
lent. A  shallow  trough  that  will  hold  an  inch  of 
the  fluid  is  all  that  is  necessary,  and  if  it  is  placed 
in  a  passage-way  so  that  they  must  walk  through 
it,  will  be  just  the  proper  arrangement ;  while  if 
there  is  a  door  at  each  end  of  the  passage,  the 
whole  pack  may  be  shut  in,  on  returning  from 
exercise  or  from  hunting,  and  left  for  a  few  min- 
utes. Occasionally,  too,  in  the  early  fall,  certain 

262 


THE    MANAGEMENT   OF    HOUNDS 

of  them  seem  to  be  affected  sometimes  by  a  sort 
of  hay  fever,  due  either  to  dust  or  the  pollen 
from  some  weeds,  and  a  weakness  and  running 
of  the  eyes  ensues,  which  may  be  alleviated  by 
any  of  the  washes  used  for  such  things  on  the 
human  subject,  and  the  kennel  may  be  kept  dark- 
ened as  in  summer,  at  all  events  on  bright  days. 
For  this  reason,  if  any  whitewash  is  used  (as  it 
never  should  be,  however  cleansing,  because 
hounds'  coats  get  full  of  it,  unless  plenty  of  glue 
(sizing)  is  mixed  with  it),  it  should  have  some 
lamp-black  mingled  with  it,  in  order  to  give  a 
dull  gray,  and  not  a  glaring  white,  effect. 

The  proper  feeding  of  hounds  in  this  climate  is 
not  generally  understood,  because  usually  English 
servants  have  them  in  charge,  and  masters  leave 
all  such  details  to  them.  It  is  to  the  heavy  flesh- 
feeding  that  much  of  the  disagreeable  (doggy) 
smell  may  be  attributed,  and  such  strong  food  as 
horse  meat  is  never  needed,  at  all  events  with  the 
"  dragmen,"  nor  raw  meat  of  any  kind,  save  that 
provided  by  the  <c  worry  "  which  they  will  enjoy 
the  more  and  work  the  keener  for,  if  they  taste 
it  only  then.  In  fact  this  plan  works  wonders 
sometimes  in  the  energy  of  a  pack,  once  they  un- 
derstand that  they  will  get  blood  at  the  end  of  a 

263 


FIRST-HAND  BITS  OF  STABLE  LORE 

run,  and  at  no  other  time.  Broths  and  soups 
may  be  made  of  various  odds  and  ends  of  cheap 
and  refuse  meats,  and  at  least  once  a  week  they 
should  be  "  drawn  "  off  into  a  yard  two  or  three 
couples  at  a  time,  and  given  some  good  big  bones 
to  gnaw  at,  polish  their  teeth  with,  and  growl 
over.  Always  have  some  one  with  them  at  these 
times,  for  the  best  of  bench  bed-fellows  will  fall  out 
over  a  bone,  and  in  a  moment  the  whole  lot  will 
be  at  it.  And  never  go  among  hounds  without 
a  good  lashed  crop ;  you  never  can  tell,  and 
when  one  gets  nasty  the  others  sometimes  back 
him  up  —  trousers  are  expensive,  and  it 's  bother- 
some to  eat  meals  from  the  mantel-shelf.  Stale 
bread,  etc.,  may  be  bought  at  any  baker's  very 
cheap,  about  fifty  cents  a  sugar  (not  flour)  bar- 
rel full,  and,  either  broken  up  and  sopped  in 
broth,  or  fed  occasionally  in  large  pieces,  dry,  it 
makes  an  excellent  food.  Oatmeal  "  puddings  " 
may  be  used  in  cold  weather,  but  it  is  a  very 
heating  food  and  sure  to  make  skin  trouble  with 
(man  or)  hounds  if  fed  regularly  and  liberally. 
Cornmeal  pudding,  or  a  rough  sort  of  corn  bread, 
made  and  baked  in  large  tins,  is  excellent,  as  is 
rye  mush  sometimes,  while  occasionally  a  regular 
vegetable  soup,  or  broth,  affords  a  welcome 

264 


THE    MANAGEMENT   OF   HOUNDS 

change.  "  Puddings  "  are  made  by  boiling  the 
meal  until  it  is  cooked,  and  then  turning  it  off 
into  large  tins,  which  will  hold  five  to  ten  quarts 
each.  Once  a  week  in  winter,  and  twice  in  sum- 
mer (if  the  pudding  is  kept  in  a  cold  place)  will 
be  often  enough  to  cook,  and  will  keep  all  sweet 
and  savory,  while  this  material  may  be  then  taken  as 
wanted,  and  either  mixed  with  broth  and  scraps 
of  well-cooked  meat,  or  fed  alone.  The  hearty 
"  doers  "  will  get  along  well  on  but  little  broth  or 
meat  food,  but  the  shy,  light,  dainty  feeders  need 
a  lot  of  coaxing  sometimes  (yet  are  frequently  the 
best  hounds  in  the  pack),  and  generally  must 
have  their  handful  or  two  of  meat  extra  and  other 
little  attentions.  No  two  are  alike,  and  the  man 
who  feeds  his  hounds  like  swine  will  find  they 
work  like  pigs.  The  dainty  ones  must  never  see 
a  full  trough,  either  ;  just  a  little,  and,  if  that  is 
eaten,  a  little  more,  and  so  on,  winding  up,  as 
necessities  direct,  with  a  few  bits  of  meat,  and 
then  "  calling  over  "  the  next  hound,  before  turn- 
ing the  dainty  feeder  into  the  yard,  when  Mr. 
Fastidious  will  generally  pick  a  bit  more  just  to 
spite  the  newcomer.  On  these  trifles  and  this 
"  infinite  capacity  for  taking  pains  "  depends  suc- 
cess in  all  undertakings  in  life,  and  he  who  pooh- 

265  . 


FIRST-HAND  BITS  OF  STABLE  LORE 

poohs  them  as  insignificant  has  no  business  with 
animals  as  a  charge. 

Hounds  should  always  be  drawn  one  at  a  time 
for  feeding,  and  that  by  name,  no  animal  being 
allowed  to  stir  out  of  his  turn,  nor  should  the 
same  order  ever  be  preserved,  as  otherwise  they 
get  very  cunning  and  answer,  not  to  their  names, 
but  to  the  turn  which  they  feel  has  arrived.  By 
this  means  discipline  is  preserved,  both  indoors 
and  out,  and  the  dog  eats  his  fill  slowly  and  un- 
disturbed, while  meantime  one  has  a  chance  to 
look  him  over,  and  cc  have  a  word  with  him  "  all 
alone,  as  enjoyable  to  him  as  to  you,  if  you  have 
the  real  instinct  of  dog  love  and  dog  sense.  No 
hound  should  move  from  his  bench  until 
called,  and  any  misbehavior  must  be  punished 
by  a  sharp  rate  or  whip-crack,  and  by  being  left 
until  the  last.  Properly  drilled,  not  a  hound  will 
stir  until  called.  When  troughs  are  filled,  open 
the  connecting  door  and  give  the  order,  "  Bench 
up,  all  of  you,  bench  up  !  "  As  soon  as  all  are  up 
and  waiting,  draw  one  by  name,  as,  "  Prattler •, 
come  over ! "  speaking  the  dog's  name  very 
clearly.  Some  timid  or  cowed  ones  will  show 
that  they  have  been  cruelly  flogged  by  previous 
feeders,  but  one  can  soon  get  them  to  bound  at 

266 


THE    MANAGEMENT    OF    HOUNDS 

the  word.  Shut  the  door,  and  when  Prattler  is 
through,  fondle  him  a  bit  and  turn  him  out  into 
the  yard.  Thus  draw  over,  one  at  a  time,  until 
all  are  fed,  when  the  door  from  the  other  room 
into  the  yard  may  be  opened,  and  they  may 
return  to  their  sleeping  quarters. 

Hounds  should  be  fed  twice  daily,  some  light 
broth  or  "  lap  "  in  the  morning, —  skim  milk  may 
sometimes  be  had  very  cheap,  —  but  the  hearty 
meal  always  at  night.  It  does  no  harm,  after 
hunting,  to  have  an  old  broom  in  your  hand 
when  hounds  are  feeding,  and  to  dip  this  in  the 
broth  and  sprinkle  them  well  with  it.  When 
they  return  to  bench  they  will  then  set  to  and 
lick  themselves  and  each  other  all  over,  the  warm 
tongues  forming  the  best  kind  of  a  fomentation 
for  any  cuts  or  bruises  they  may  have  sustained. 
The  "  sing-song  "  in  which  they  love  to  indulge, 
especially  on  a  frosty,  moonlight  night,  should 
never  be  checked,  unless  too  long  prolonged,  and 
has  always  seemed  too  much  of  a  hymn  of 
thanksgiving  for  full  belly  and  comfortable  bed 
to  be  interfered  with ;  in  fact,  when  they  thus 
"sing"  they  are  doing  pretty  well  bodily.  When 
working,  of  course,  they  must  be  closely  watched, 
and  those  which  are  shrinking  too  fast,  worked 

267 


FIRST-HAND  BITS  OF  STABLE  LORE 

less  and  fed  most  nourishing  food.  Very  fast 
hounds  may  be  made  to  "  pack  "  better  by  keep- 
ing them  high  in  flesh,  while  the  slow  ones  must 
be  fitted  like  race-horses  if  they  are  to  be  literally 
"  in  the  hunt."  A  capable  feeder,  who  has  op- 
portunities to  see  hounds  work,  can  make  a  vast 
difference  in  any  pack. 

When  hunting  is  going  on  hounds  need  little 
horse  exercise.  What  they  get  in  their  yards  and 
an  airing  once  daily  with  a  man  on  foot,  who 
takes  them  to  a  big  field  where  they  may  knock 
about  a  bit,  will  keep  them  hearty  and  reg- 
ular, and  amount  to  about  the  equal  of  a  four- 
mile  jog  if  they  are  out  for  an  hour.  Always 
keep  them  interested  and  make  much  of  them, 
and  have  a  few  bits  of  biscuit,  etc.,  to  toss  to 
them,  but  as  soon  as  they  begin  to  get  ranging 
about,  either  take  them  in,  or  couple  them,  or 
they  may  get  into  mischief.  When  horse  exer- 
cise is  on,  it  had  better  be  done  in  the  early 
morning  for  the  fresh  air  and  the  dew,  and  at  a 
brisk  pace.  A  moderate  distance  at  a  fair  pace 
is  better  than  dawdling  along  for  miles,  and 
condition  comes  quicker  thus.  Keep  them  well 
packed  at  all  such  times,  and  have  your  whip  at- 
tend to  his  business,  or  your  neighborhood  will  be 

268 


THE   MANAGEMENT   OF   HOUNDS 

cc  shy  "  sundry  pet  bow-wows,  cats,  and  chickens. 
The  rascals  will  continually  try  you  to  see  just  how 
far  they  may  go,  and  any  insubordination  must 
be  nipped  in  the  bud.  If  they  get  muddy  when 
out  wipe  them  off  before  they  go  to  their 
benches,  and  do  not  leave  them  to  shiver  and 
dry  themselves  as  best  they  may.  A  properly 
handled  pack  will  heed  every  low-spoken  word, 
and  such  a  thing  as  a  flogging  is  soon  totally 
unnecessary ;  but  when  it  is,  make  no  mistake 
about  it,  and  be  sure  the  individual  understands 
what  it  is  for,  and  receives  it  promptly,  or  he 
will  go  further  next  time. 

When  the  time  arrives  for  taking  the  field 
every  effort  should  be  made  to  simulate,  as  far 
as  possible,  the  "real  thing"  in  hunting;  and  on 
holidays,  or  on  other  occasions,  where  time  is 
plenty,  two  or  three  covers  may  be  drawn  before 
hounds  are  really  "  laid  on  "  to  the  drag.  This 
not  only  makes  them  more  keen,  but  it  affords 
an  opportunity  for  the  field  to  see  the  pack  at 
work,  and  is  also  capital  schooling  for  the  tyro 
master,  who,  of  course,  will  also  hunt  his  hounds. 
The  dragsman  may  be  instructed  to  visit  a  grove 
or  two,  and  therein  to  let  his  cane  touch  the 
ground  in  a  few  places,  that  hounds  may  be  en- 

269 


FIRST-HAND  BITS  OF  STABLE  LORE 

couraged  to  work,  and  to  really  draw  through 
such  coverts.  If  a  fox  or  two  can  be  kept  ken- 
nelled, the  litter  will  afford  the  best  material  for  a 
drag,  but  in  its  default,  anise-seed,  or  any  of  the 
other  combinations  used,  answer  about  as  well. 
The  dragsman  takes  a  small  vial  in  his  pocket, 
and,  armed  with  a  walking-stick  which  has  a  rag 
wrapped  around  the  end,  he  pursues  his  way  over 
the  selected  course,  touching  the  ground  at  every 
step  or  two,  as  one  would  handle  a  cane,  and  re- 
moistening  the  rag  occasionally  from  his  vial.  In 
dry  weather  he  may  find  it  better  to  drag  his 
stick  along,  as  scent  is  apt  to  quickly  evaporate 
under  these  conditions,  and  due  attention  must 
always  be  paid  to  such  details,  and  also  as  to  the 
direction  of  the  wind.  Hounds  do  better  "up 
wind  "  on  hot  or  muggy  days,  or,  at  all  events, 
across  it;  down  wind  they  get  very  much  dis- 
tressed, and  it  is  also  hard  on  horses  and  riders. 
This,  of  course,  has  special  reference  to  summer 
hunting,  which  is  as  possible  with  drag  hounds  as 
that  at  any  other  period  of  the  year,  checks  with 
more  frequency  being  necessary,  and  fences,  made 
blind  from  thick  foliage,  being  avoided  when 
possible.  The  dotting  of  the  stick  in  spaces  a 
few  feet  apart  makes  hounds  cc  pack  "  and  work 

270 


THE    MANAGEMENT   OF    HOUNDS 

better.  With  the  old-fashioned  bag  they  might 
run  a  field  "  down  wind  "  of  the  line,  and  still 
carry  the  scent  breast  high ;  in  fact,  the  field 
could  smell  it  themselves.  This  is  what  spoils 
drag  hounds  and  makes  them  so  careless  that, 
finally,  they  will  own  nothing  less  rank,  so  spoiled 
are  their  noses.  The  drag  should  also  end  near 
a  grove,  wall,  or  some  such  place,  as  if  the  quarry 
had  escaped,  and  not,  as  generally  the  case,  in 
the  middle  of  a  big  field,  where  hounds  check, 
stare  about,  and  finally  act  as  if  they  fully  real- 
ized how  they  had  been  fooled.  The  checks 
should  be  arranged  in  the  same  way,  and  if  pos- 
sible (especially  in  summer)  occur  at  or  near  a 
river,  brook,  or  spring,  where  the  exhausted 
brutes  can  lap  a  little  water  and  wallow  a  few 
minutes,  to  cool  their  over-heated  bodies.  Many 
a  fit  and  case  of  over-exhaustion  will  thereby  be 
frustrated,  and  then  again,  any  fox  might  have 
thrown  them  off  there.  If  stone  walls  are  plenti- 
ful, or  fences  are  close-made,  order  the  dragsman 
to  always  take  his  drag  through  or  near  to  bar- 
ways  and  gaps.  Hounds  are  thus  saved  much 
useless  labor  in  jumping,  and  your  object  must 
be,  with  the  small  pack  at  your  disposal,  to  keep 
them  as  fresh  as  possible,  and  to  avoid  all  unnec- 

271 


FIRST-HAND  BITS  OF  STABLE  LORE 

essary  work.  For  the  same  reason  an  old  wagon 
or  van  is  useful  to  take  them  on,  and  bring  them 
home,  if  the  meets  are  far  from  the  kennels. 
Ten  couple  handled  thus  will  do  as  much  work 
as  twice  the  number  that  are  slammed  about  and 
neither  properly  cared  for  nor  favored  in  all  the 
little  details  that  go  to  "make  the  difference." 
It  is  beautiful  to  see  hounds  going  to  cover  and 
coming  home,  but  it  means  just  so  many  extra 
miles,  and  you  may  have  large  distances  to  get 
over.  When  at  the  meet  let  the  whip  keep  a 
watchful  eye  for  stragglers,  and  by  throwing  to 
them  a  few  scraps  of  biscuit,  etc.,  from  your 
hand,  talking  to  them  and  keeping  them  inter- 
ested, they  will  cause  no  trouble  until  you  are 
ready  to  move.  Be  careful  that  your  drag  does 
not  start  too  near  the  meet,  for  the  wind  may 
bring  the  savor  to  the  pack,  and  if  so,  the  run  is 
on  in  a  minute.  Always  draw  "  down  "  the  wind 
onto  your  starting  point,  and  not  "  up  "  for  the 
same  reason.  When  time  is  up  jog  quietly  off, 
making  sure  that  your  whip  — we  will  assume  you 
have  only  one  —  keeps  the  field  off  the  hounds, 
and  insures  them  room  enough;  nothing  makes 
them  wilder  than  the  ever-present  fear  of  being 
ridden  over,  and  you,  as  master,  can  and  should 

272 


THE    MANAGEMENT   OF   HOUNDS 

prevent  it,  for  as  such  you  are  autocratic,  and 
may  even  declare  the  run  off,  and  go  straight 
home,  should  your  field  prove  recalcitrant.  Ex- 
plain to  them  that  their  fun  depends,  now  and  in 
future,  on  giving  hounds  plenty  of  room  on  road 
or  in  field.  When  they  find  and  "  go  away,"  go 
on  with  the  leaders  and  leave  it  to  your  whip  to 
get  any  stragglers  away.  English  hounds  will  be 
the  better  for  a  scream  or  two  at  this  juncture, 
and  the  tail  hounds  will  fly  to  it.  Ride  your 
own  line  and  set  your  field  an  example  in  this 
respect,  taking  the  bitter  with  the  sweet,  and 
giving  your  pets  plenty  of  room  by  riding  to 
one  side  of  them.  A  live  fox  generally  turns 
"  down  wind,"  but  your  drag  hounds  need  not 
be  thus  considered,  for  you  will,  as  often  as  not, 
have  the  scent  laid  the  other  way.  Give  them 
room,  therefore,  and  let  them  alone,  save  a  word 
of  encouragement  to  those  not  hunting  keenly ; 
and  be  very  careful  how  you  encourage  the  lead- 
ing hounds,  the  keenest  and  fastest,  too  extrava- 
gantly. It  is  hard  to  refrain  from  cheering 
honest  old  Bachelor,  who  is  working  every  yard, 
and  carrying  the  head  like  the  game  old  dog  he  is  ; 
but  that  arch  scoundrel,  Furious,  may  awaken  to 
his  duties  if  you  can  really  get  him  in  conceit  with 

18 


FIRST-HAND  BITS  OF  STABLE  LORE 

himself,  so  "  talk  him  along,"  and  try  to  get  him 
and  that  shy  old  bitch,  Rarity,  and  that  star-gaz- 
ing, babbling  old  villain,  Guardsmen,  into  the 
game,  leaving  Bachelor  and  Prattler,  Honesty, 
Rapture,  and  the  rest  to  meet  their  reward  at  the 
end  of  the  run  in  plentiful  caress  of  voice  and 
hand.  If  cattle,  sheep,  or  colts  are  on  the  line 
try  to  get  your  whip  up  to  you ;  you  may  need 
him,  and  it  is  bothersome  to  have  to  whip  and 
rate  your  own  hounds.  These  obstructionists 
may  foil  the  line  and  bring  about  a  check  you 
had  not  anticipated,  and  if  so  let  hounds  alone, 
until  they  begin  to  get  their  heads  up  and  "  chuck 
it,"  when  you  may  take  them  in  hand,  as  they 
plainly  show  themselves  ready  for  assistance,  as 
much  as  to  say,  cc  Boss,  we  give  it  up  !  Where 
did  he  go  ?  "  Have  a  wary  eye  to  the  real  hunt- 
ers at  such  times,  for  wise  old  Bachelor  may  make 
a  cast  forward  on  his  own  account,  and  if  you 
have  let  him  get  too  far  away  from  the  main  body 
and  yourself  he  may  suddenly  "  own  it "  with  a 
joyous  note,  and  be  off  before  you  and  the  rest 
can  get  to  him.  Keep  your  field  back  at  such 
times.  "  Away  back  and  sit  down  "  is  their 
place. 

Arriving    at   your    prearranged    check,    when 
274 


THE    MANAGEMENT   OF   HOUNDS 

hounds  all  "  throw  up "  and  quit,  have  your 
whip  put  them  to  you  (after  jumping  off  your 
good  horse  for  a  moment  or  two,  if  the  pace  has 
been  fast  or  the  going  deep,  and  waiting  for  your 
field  to  catch  up) ;  cast  them  quietly,  zigzag- 
ging along  up  to  your  new  point  of  departure, 
and  encouraging  them  to  hunt  all  the  way,  using 
up  time  according  to  the  weather  and  your  own 
haste.  When  they  "  own  it "  again,  cheer  them 
away  and  go  on  as  before,  save  that  at  the  very 
last  you  may  really  cap  them  along,  as  the  scent 
grows  stronger  (because  it  is  fresher)  and  they 
seem  to  be  "running  into  him."  Arrived  at  the 
"  finish,"  take  your  six  or  eight  pounds  of  meat  — 
a  steer's  or  (bull's  neck  makes  the  best  material,  as 
it  is  tough  knd  they  must  "  worry  "  it  well  before 
it  will  come  to  pieces;  if  "gamey  "  it  is  all  the 
better.  Get  them  about  you,  encouraging  the 
shy  ones  all  you  can ;  hold  it  well  above  your 
head,  that  they  may  see  it,  and  throw  it  to 
them,  urging  them  to  worry  and  tear  it  to  frag- 
ments, that  all  may  get  a  taste,  and  preventing 
any  hound  from  getting  too  large  a  piece.  If  the 
weather  is  hot  get  them  to  water  somehow,  either 
to  a  nearby  brook,  etc.,  or  hire  some  lad  to  bring 
a  bucket.  Water  them  yourself  (in  fact,  they 

275 


FIRST-HAND  BITS  OF  STABLE  LORE 

should  look  to  you  for  everything),  and  see  that 
all  are  attended.  Couple  up  those  that  road 
best  so  confined,  and  shack  off  home,  treating 
them  on  arrival  as  described  in  earlier  pages. 

As  to  hound  language,  you  will  soon  pick  it 
up.  Very  little  is  really  needed,  nor  is  it  easily 
put  in  print.  The  whip's  rate  should  always 
include  the  name  of  the  hound,  clearly  and 
twice  repeated,  if  he  addresses  an  individual,  as, 
"  Curious  !  Get  for'rard  !  Curious  !  "  the  first 
word  attracting  the  desired  hound's  attention, 
and  the  repetition  enforcing  the  order.  To  a 
would-be  investigator  of  passing  dogs,  etc.,  he 
may  say,  "  Bachelor  !  Leave  it !  Bachelor  !  "  or, 
"Druid!  'Ware  sheep  !  Druid!"  etc.,  while  the 
pack  may  be  rated,  "  All  of  yer !  Get  for'rard  ! 
All  of  yer!"  or,  "Turn  over  to  him,"  if  they 
straggle.  Your  own  commands  may  run  as  fol- 
lows :  at  starting,  "  Coop  I  puppies,  Coop  !  come 
away,  1-a-a-ds !  " ;  on  finding,  a  sort  of  treble 
scream,  like  "  Yo-o-o-o-i  !  for'rard  !  for'rard  ! 
Go-o-ne  away,"  as  loud  as  you  can  yell,  accom- 
panied by  a  cheer  to  the  hound  that  owns  it, 
as,  "  Prattler  >  hoick!  Hoick,  Prattler!"  and 
when  they  are  drawing,  "  Yeo  !  try  for  it !  Ye-o-o, 
rouse  him  out !  Yeoo,  work  for  him,  puppies  !  " 

276 


THE    MANAGEMENT   OF    HOUNDS 

Many  huntsmen  keep  up  a  running  fire  of  falsetto 
encouragement  to  their  hounds,  but  it  has  never 
seemed  productive  of  good  results  and  has  a 
tendency  to  distract  their  attention.  They  know 
their  business,  and  if  you  can  catch  a  fox  yourself, 
why  go  ahead  and  do  it !  It  makes  them  indifferent 
also,  when  a  crisis  really  arrives,  and  if  they  have 
been  rarely  interfered  with,  your  voice  then  brings 
energetic  response,  and  eager  work.  If  they 
"  kennel-know  "you  and  love  you,  they  will  try  all 
they  can,  anyhow.  When  the  "  kill "  comes,  call 
them  by  name,  as,  "  Bachelor,  here  !  Music  /  Van- 
ity,  old  woman  !  "  etc.,  and  after  the  "  who-o-op !  " 
which  has  announced  the  finish,  cry,  "  Worry, 
worry,  worry  !  Tear  him  and  eat  him  ! "  and  so 
on.  To  make  hounds  drink,  the  words  "  Suss, 
suss ! "  are  used.  There  are  numerous  other 
rates,  cheers,  and  calls,  but  every  huntsman  has 
his  pet  vocabulary,  and  you  will  by  degrees 
acquire  one  of  your  own.  Readers  will  pardon 
these  details,  which  are  feebly  and  incompletely 
set  forth,  as  well  as  matter-of-course  to  all  who 
have  hunted,  but  this  is  intended  for  those  who 
have  not,  and  only  as  a  general  guide  at  that. 

No  details  of  the  management  of  bag-foxes  and 
their  destruction,   if  hounds  can  be  induced  to 

277 


FIRST-HAND  BITS  OF  STABLE  LORE 

touch  the  poor  brutes,  which  sometimes  they  will 
not,  will  be  given  here,  and  if  your  sport  (?)  is 
not  complete  without  this  feature,  then  may  your 
undertakings  in  the  hunting  line  prove  dismal 
failures  !  How  any  collection  of  ordinarily  civi- 
lized beings  can  find  their  pleasure  enhanced  by 
the  killing  of  a  poor  little  wretch  which  is  turned 
out  in  a  strange  locality,  too  feeble  from  long 
confinement  to  run  any  distance,  too  bewildered 
to  seek  any  sanctuary,  or  to  know  where  such 
may  be  found,  is  as  much  a  mystery  as  its  perpe- 
tration is  an  inhuman  outrage  on  decency.  The 
flimsy  excuse  that  hounds  "  need  blood  "  is  ridic- 
ulous and  untrue ;  there  are  successful  packs  in 
all  countries  that  never  kill,  and  do  not  even  taste 
raw  meat  at  the  "finish."  That  a  "bagman"  is 
highly  distasteful  to  hounds,  anyway,  is  proven  by 
the  fact  that  if  they  do  kill  him,  they  often  refuse 
to  either  "  break  him  up,"  or  eat  him.  One  view 
of  the  wretched,  hunted  creature,  probably  a  cub, 
tongue  out,  brush  dragging  as  he  struggles  hope- 
lessly along,  is  enough  to  make  one's  blood  run 
cold ;  and  it  is  safe  to  say  that,  had  the  bulk  of 
the  field  any  opportunity  to  view  such  a  spectacle 
they  would  promptly  demand  its  abolition,  or 
abandon  hunting  entirely.  A  wild  fox  at  large  in 

278 


THE    MANAGEMENT   OF    HOUNDS 

his  own  country,  all  holes  (or  earths)  unstopped, 
has  a  fair  chance,  if  he  gets  away  with  a  decent 
start,  and  he  is  probably  a  chicken-stealing  rogue, 
which  deserves  extermination.  Your  rotten  little 
mangy  bagman,  however,  has  no  such  chance, 
but  runs  aimlessly  on  until  he  is  caught,  or  drops 
from  sheer  exhaustion,  or  else  seeks  the  nearest 
fence  corner,  where  he  stops  and  faces  his  foes, 
dying  like  the  hopeless  little  desperado  he  is. 

There  are  wild  foxes  in  certain  localities,  nota- 
bly about  Philadelphia,  which  have  been  hunted 
time  and  again,  and  which  really  seem  to  enjoy 
the  outing,  affording  good  runs  sometimes  for 
years,  and  then  dying  peacefully  of  old  age ;  but 
such  cases  are  few,  and  as,  sooner  or  later,  all 
American  hunting  must  be  after  the  drag,  let  that 
be  the  legitimate  object  of  pursuit,  and  for  human- 
ity's sake*  leave  out  the  bag-fox  features. 

Tame  deer  have  been  used  a  little  in  this  coun- 
try for  pursuit,  and  have  afforded  good  sport, 
their  tendency  to  take  to  the  roads,  and  to  "  soil  " 
obstinately  in  water  when  pressed,  presenting  the 
chief  drawbacks  to  their  employment.  Of  course 
they  are  never  killed,  and  equally,  of  course,  the 
master  and  whips  must  be  well  up,  or  they  may 
be,  but  it  takes  a  mighty  fast  pack  to  catch  a  deer 

279 


FIRST-HAND  BITS  OF  STABLE  LORE 

that  has  fair  c<  law  "  and  means  going.  Not  a  few 
of  these  old-stagers  seem  to  enjoy  the  chase,  and 
will  keep  just  far  enough  in  front  to  make  hounds 
do  their  best,  until  nearing  the  finish,  when  they 
really  "  set  sail "  for  the  box-stall  that  awaits 
them,  to  which  they  unerringly  return.  They 
are  a  bother  to  procure  and  keep,  however,  and 
should  not  be  seriously  considered. 

The  farmers,  over  whose  lands  one  hunts, 
must  be  cared  for  properly,  and  made  to  realize, 
by  purchase  of  supplies  from  them  when  possi- 
ble, and  by  prompt  settlement  of  any  reasonable 
damage  claims,  that  hunting  is  to  their  interest. 
Picnics,  dances,  etc.,  should  feature  each  season, 
once  at  least ;  growing  crops,  new  meadows,  etc., 
should  be  shunned ;  smashed  rails  should  be  at 
once  replaced,  the  dragsman  going  over  the  course 
the  very  next  morning  with  spare  rails,  boards, 
etc.,  stamped  with  the  club  stencil,  so  that  there 
may  be  no  question  about  it,  and  making  good 
all  damages ;  claims  for  stock  getting  out,  etc., 
should  be  courteously  considered,  and  promptly 
settled ;  ask  permission  of  all  land-owners  first, 
and  shun  carefully  the  premises  of  all  who  ob- 
ject ;  their  number  will  be  few  if  they  are  prop- 
erly approached,  and  the  objects  clearly  explained. 

280 


THE   MANAGEMENT   OF   HOUNDS 

As  your  sport  is  possible  only  on  their  sufferance, 
let  them  understand  that  you  appreciate  it,  and 
will  requite  the  courtesy  in  kind. 

Hounds  are  quite  subject  to  fits  in  hot  weather, 
if  hunted,  and  periods  between  checks  should  be 
brief  for  that  reason  ;  the  scent  rather  lightly  laid, 
that  the  pace  may  not  be  too  fast.  Checking 
near  water  is  best  for  this  reason,  and  if  any  show 
signs  of  exhaustion  the  time  at  check  may  be 
prolonged  until  recovery  is  made.  Occasionally 
one  must  be  bled,  but  this  is  so  rare  as  hardly  to 
merit  consideration.  If  you  must  act  you  may 
scarify  the  roof  of  the  mouth,  or  may  bleed  from 
the  jugular,  taking  care  to  make  all  safe  afterward 
by  running  a  pin  through  the  edges  of  the  cut 
and  twisting  about  it  a  few  hairs  from  your 
horse's  mane ;  his  tail  will  afford  none  long 
enough,  now  that  this  infernal  fashion  of  docking 
prevails. 

Your  kennel  needs  in  the  medical  line  will  be 
few ;  an  occasional  dose  of  physic  (as  castor  oil 
and  syrup  of  buckthorn),  a  blue  pill  for  a  slug- 
gish liver,  etc.,  will  about  complete  the  list  unless 
you  undertake  to  raise  puppies  and  breed  your 
own  hounds.  As  most  masters  finally  essay  this 
disappointing  undertaking,  however,  they  should 

281 


FIRST-HAND  BITS  OF  STABLE  LORE 

have  at  hand  some  of  the  works  upon  diseases 
of  dogs,  and  will  find  plenty  of  opportunity  to 
practise.  Distemper  will  rarely  trouble  you  if 
you  buy  drafts  of  full  age  for  such  purposes 
as  the  average  drag  pack  requires.  It  is  the 
height  of  folly  to  try  to  breed,  although  handling 
puppies,  training  them,  and  watching  them  learn 
to  work  is  great  fun.  If  you  successfully  raise 
six  couple  out  of  twenty  pups  you  are  doing 
wonders;  and  if  two  couple  out  of  the  six  are 
any  account  you  are  in  great  luck.  The  game  is 
not  worth  the  candle,  save  as  a  side  issue.  A 
number  of  true  and  tried  receipts  for  various 
ailments  are  appended,  and  it  is  hoped  that  these 
rambling  and  imperfect  notes  may  urge  you  to 
actively  take  up  this  most  interesting  sport,  and 
derive  from  it  the  health  and  the  unlimited  en- 
joyment that  such  outdoor  recreation,  and  its 
attendant  intimate  association  with  dumb  animals, 
has  procured  for  the  writer. 

VERMIFUGE 

25  grains  areca-nut 
2  grains  santonine 

Follow  in  two  hours  with  tablespoon  castor  oil.  Repeat  in 
three  days.  Withhold  food  twenty-four  hours  previous.  Pups, 
half  quantity. 

282 


THE    MANAGEMENT    OF    HOUNDS 

CHOREA      (Following  Distemper) 

1/2  grain  strychnine  ^  dram  extract  gentian 

9  grains  quinine  ^  dram  Barbadoes  aloes 

3  grains  extr.  belladonna 

Make  36  pills  ;  one  twice  daily  before  food. 

VERMIFUGE 

20  drops  oil  male  fern 
30  drops  oil  turpentine 
60  drops  ether 
Beat  up  with  egg.      One  dose. 

CANKER      (Ears,  etc.) 

6  grains  nitrate  of  silver 
i  ounce  water 
Use  twice  daily. 

FEVER  MIXTURE 

1  dram  powdered  nitre  I  dram  wine  of  antimony 
T/2,  ounce  sweet  nitre                  4  ounces  water 

1 1/2  ounce  minderous  spirit 

Tablespoonful  in  gruel  every  four  hours. 

DISTEMPER  MIXTURE 

2  drams  chlorate  potash  2  drams  tincture  of  henbane 

1  ounce  minderous  spirit  2^  ounces  water 

2  drams  sweet  nitre 

Dissolve  potash  in   water  ;  add  rest.      Teaspoonful  to  table- 
spoonful  twice  daily,  according  to  size  of  dog. 

283 


FIRST-HAND  BITS  OF  STABLE  LORE 

STOMACH  STIMULANT 
I  dram  extract  gentian 
36  grains  powdered  rhubarb 
I  2  grains  carbonate  of  soda 
Make  1 2  pills  ;  three  daily. 

FLEAS 
Strong  solution  quassia  chips 

POOR  FEEDER 
One  grain  sulphate  quinine  daily,  in  powder. 

What,  then,  may  we  count  upon  as  the  approx- 
imate cost  of  an  unpretentious  establishment,  such 
as  described,  hunted  and  whipped  by  amateurs, 
and  cheaply  handled  in  every  way,  to  afford  runs 
of  three  days  per  week  ?  Such  amateurs  as  are 
able  to  enter  actively  into  this  sport,  and  to  give 
the  necessary  time  to  it,  can  well  afford  to  horse 
themselves,  and  should  do  so ;  but  for  the  sake 
of  argument  we  will  assume  that  the  club  decides 
to  provide  their  horses.  Animals  such  as  will  do 
the  work  can  be  procured  at  auctions,  etc.,  ready 
schooled,  for  very  little  money,  and  many  useful 
screws  are  noticed  at  such  sales  selling  for  fifty 
dollars  and  less.  Of  course,  heavy  men  must 
usually  pay  more,  but  for  drag  hunting  there  is 
no  occasion  for  a  welterweight  being  horsed 
as  he  would  be  for  a  whole  day  with  hounds. 

284 


THE   MANAGEMENT   OF    HOUNDS 

Most  horses,  up  to  one  hundred  and  seventy-five 
pounds,  will  carry  two  hundred  pounds  perfectly 
well  for  an  hour  or  two,  and  bulk  in  the  quad- 
ruped by  no  means  insures  safety  to  the  biped. 
Action  is  what  carries  weight  —  level,  true,  effort- 
less, galloping  action  —  and  little  horses  are  often 
as  competent  for  the  undertaking  as  the  big, 
robust  brutes  generally  selected.  A  tall  horse 
makes  fences  look  smaller ;  he  has  no  other 
merit  of  any  kind. 

This,  then,  is  the  schedule  for  the  year,  the 
club  furnishing  kennel  room  and  stall  room  free  : 

ORIGINAL  OUTLAY 

Four  horses  @  $100 $400.00 

Ten  couple  hounds  @  $10 100.00 

Saddles,  bridles,  etc 100.00 

Coats 80.00 

$680.00 

COST    OF    KEEP,   ETC.,     PER    MONTH 
Feed,  etc.,  four  horses  @  $12    ....      $48.00 

Shoeing 8.00 

Veterinary,  etc. 5.00 

Dragsman 50.00 

Kennel  man  and  groom 50.00 

Feed,  etc.,  hounds  @  $2 40.00 

Sundry 25.00 

Fence  repairs,  damages,  etc.  (?) 

$226.00 


FIRST-HAND  BITS  OF  STABLE  LORE 

The  saddles,  bridles,  clothing,  coats,  etc.,  as 
with  the  horses,  would  probably  be  provided  by 
the  amateur  officials.  Hounds  may  often  be  pur- 
chased for  much  less  than  the  price  named  —  $5 
per  head. 

The  amount  named  for  feeding  the  horses  is 
ample  for  any  locality ;  in  many  sections  they  can 
be  well  done  for  half  the  money.  Shoeing,  at  $2 
a  set,  averages  rather  high,  and,  if  tips  are  used, 
expense  is  halved.  Veterinary  should  hardly  be 
needed,  but  may  be  occasionally.  The  kennel- 
man,  if  he  also  "  does  "  the  horses,  some  of  them, 
and  is  competent,  is  worth  $60  if  he  boards 
himself;  if  the  club  gives  that,  he  should  get 
about  $35,  and  presents,  etc.,  at  Christmas  will 
help  out  nicely.  The  dragsman,  if  regularly 
employed,  may  also  help  about  horses  and  ken- 
nels, and  work  "by  the  run"  (at  $5);  or  for 
so  much  per  month,  or  the  kennelman  may  also 
lay  drag,  and  will  be  glad  of  the  chance,  if  an 
active  fellow,  as  he  must  be.  A  lad  at  $10  a 
month  and  board  can  help  about  kennels,  etc.,  if 
necessary.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  the  writer  has 
always  found  it  possible  to  get  one  man  to  do 
the  whole  job,  hounds,  horses,  drag,  and  all, 
and  never  paid  over  $60  to  a  man  (who  also 

286 


THE    MANAGEMENT   OF   HOUNDS 

boarded  himself).  Christmas,  however,  brought 
in  at  least  $75  more,  and  other  tips  were  fre- 
quent. While  the  work  is  hard,  for  a  few  months, 
it  is  easy  the  balance  of  the  year,  and  the  wage 
drops  correspondingly,  as  do  the  expenses  of  keep- 
ing the  animals.  Hounds  may  be  well  fed  at  $2 
each  per  month,  when  in  work.  The  expense  of 
repairs  and  damages  will  be  light,  if  farmers  are 
favorably  disposed  to  begin  with,  and  are  prop- 
erly approached  for  the  privileges  desired.  The 
writer  never  had  to  pay  a  penny  for  anything 
during  three  years  in  one  country,  and  but  a  few 
dollars  in  another  for  a  calf  and  a  few  hens  de- 
stroyed by  straggling  hounds. 

All  told,  then,  five  months'  hunting,  spring, 
six  weeks,  and  late  summer  and  fall,  thrte  months 
or  more,  may  be  enjoyed  for  an  outside  expense 
of  about  $1,500,  and  probably  for  very  much 
less,  which,  if  the  club  has  twenty  members  or  so, 
entails  a  very  slight  individual  outlay  per  month. 
The  season  over,  all  horses  and  hounds  may  be 
sold,  and  a  fresh  start  made  when  time  approaches 
for  again  beginning. 


287 


Chapter    XVIII 

SHOWING   HORSES 

successfully  handle  horses  in  the 
show  ring  implies  a  contest  of  intelli- 
gence between  judges  and  exhibitors, 
in  which  the  officials  make  every 
effort  to  discover  imperfections  of  manners,  gait, 
etc.,  while  the  "  nagsmen "  try  their  best  not 
only  to  display  their  charges  to  advantage,  but  to 
conceal  or  modify  all  short-comings.  Amateurs 
to  this  extent,  strive  to  emulate  professionals, 
and  adopt  methods  which,  in  their  own  investiga- 
tions as  purchasers,  they  are  prone  to  resent 
upon  the  part  of  the  purveyors,  and  to  consider 
proper  in  the  arena,  artifices  which  they  denounce 
in  the  sale  stable.  As  this  is  proper  —  or  if  this 
is  allowable  —  in  the  former  case,  it  certainly 
should  not  be  condemned  in  the  latter,  and  if 
attempts  to  hoodwink  the  judicial  eye  are  toler- 
ated, the  hackneyed  motto  "  Caveat  emptor  "  de- 
mands equal  respect.  As  showman  or  salesman, 

288 


SHOWING   HORSES 

all  goods  should  be  displayed  to  the  best  advan- 
tage, if  satisfactory  results  are  to  follow,  and  we 
have  many  amateurs  who  are  as  alive  to  every 
"  trick  of  the  trade  "  in  showing  a  horse  as  the 
best  professional. 

To  make  the  best  possible  impression  upon 
show  functionaries  every  detail  of  equipage  must 
be  just  right.  This  does  not  mean  that  the 
absurd  appointment  fad  must  be  exactly  copied, 
but  that  the  eternal  fitness  of  things  must  be 
plainly  evidenced  in  the  conformation,  action, 
and  qualities  of  the  animals, — grace  and  appro- 
priateness in  size  and  variety  of  the  vehicle,  and 
neatness,  snugness,  and  good  fashion  and  fit  of 
harness,  or  of  saddle  and  bridle.  An  absurdly 
short  dock,  an  unkempt  and  crooked  tail,  shaggy 
mane  and  fetlocks,  dirty  vehicle  and  trappings,  — 
all  affect  results  ;  and  while  it  is  true  that  a  horse 
should  win  on  his  merits,  his  entourage  has  its 
proper  effect  on  the  outcome,  and  very  justly.  If 
pains  are  not  taken  to  please  the  official  eye,  the 
offender  has  but  his  own  neglect  to  blame  if 
passed  over. 

The  great  trouble  with  the  average  amateur  is 
self-consciousness,  and  the  fact  that  through  it  he 
works  himself  into  a  state  of  nervousness  which 
'9  289 


FIRST-HAND  BITS  OF  STABLE  LORE 

affects  his  horse  the  moment  he  takes  up  his 
reins.  That  "  wireless  telegraph  "  is  instantly  in 
action,  and  the  animal  is  disconcerted  before  the 
time  for  action  arrives,  —  half  beaten  before  the 
battle  begins.  Again,  he  has  watched  profes- 
sionals "  nagging "  their  horses  with  bit,  whip, 
and  voice  to  make  them  display  the  action  and 
carriage  necessary,  and  he  makes  efforts  to  emu- 
late them  which  result  only  in  confusing  and  up- 
setting his  charge,  forgetting,  or  not  appreciating, 
that  half  their  performance  is  "gallery  work" 
only,  and  that,  through  incessant  practice,  they 
intuitively  understand  just  how  far  to  go,  and 
just  when  to  stop,  or  to  change  methods.  Almost 
any  horse  that  is  up  to  show  form,  performs  at 
his  best  when  handled  quietly,  and  allowed  to 
display  himself  in  his  own  way.  There  are  some 
sluggards,  and  regular  winners  at  that,  which 
have  to  be  waked  up  (outside  the  ring)  with 
stimulants  and  bale-stick,  and  to  be  flogged, 
jerked,  "  fished,"  and  lifted  when  contesting,  as 
if  in  the  last  strides  of  a  race,  but  these  are  not 
the  sort  the  tyro  will  wish  either  to  own  or  to 
handle,  if  he  is  the  good  sportsman  we  all  ad- 
mire, and  with  a  soul  above  mere  mug-and-rib- 
bon-hunting.  Ladies  usually  accomplish  wonders 

290 


SHOWING   HORSES 

in  such  competitions,  because  they  are  not  so 
assertive  as  the  sterner  sex,  and  being  willing  that 
the  animals  should  do  their  best  in  their  own 
way  do  not  hamper  them  by  misdirected  efforts 
to  better  the  performance  ;  their  hands  are  lighter 
and  more  firm,  and  they  are  usually  more  self- 
possessed. 

Most  people  entirely  misconstrue  the  phrase 
"  good  hands,"  and  the  people  who  pride  them- 
selves upon  these  possessions  will  be  generally 
found  not  to  send  their  horses  up  to  their  bits  ; 
instead  of  the  "  give  and  take,"  their  method  is 
all  "  give."  Nor  is  manipulation  the  only  requi- 
site of  this  accomplishment.  It  must  include  the 
intuitive  knowledge  of  what  a  horse  is  about  to 
do ;  how  he  is  about  to  do  it ;  and  the  instant 
frustration  of  any  outbreak  or  mistake  in  just 
the  proper  degree,  which  is  so  instinctive  that  it 
becomes  automatic.  "  Horse  sense  "  and  sym- 
pathetic intelligence  are  essentials  which  may  de- 
velop through  association,  but  are  usually  a 
matter  of  personality  alone.  The  very  best 
"  hands  "  often  appear  rough,  and  are  when  re- 
sistance demands  coercion,  for  the  definition  of 
"  hands,"  roughly  put,  is  "the  faculty  of  making 
a  horse  do  what  we  want  in  the  way  we  want  it, 

291 


FIRST-HAND  BITS  OF  STABLE  LORE 

and  with  advantage  to  himself."  He  who  affects 
this  unerringly,  be  attitude  and  methods  what 
they  may,  indisputably  possesses  "  hands "  in 
their  finest  development. 

On  the  first  appearance  of  a  class,  judges  do 
not  want,  nor  do  they  regard  favorably  any  sen- 
sational performances.  At  this  stage  their  efforts 
are  directed  toward  culling  out  the  unfit,  and  any 
excessive  display  upon  the  part  of  your  horse 
will  go  for  nothing  so  far  as  results  are  concerned. 
If  you  have  even  an  outside  chance  you  will  be 
duly  "  lined  up "  among  the  elect :  all  energy 
should  be  reserved  for  the  struggle  which  is  to 
come  later.  Go  carefully  into  all  the  corners  of 
the  ring,  therefore,  taking  the  longest  way  round 
that  your  steed  may  get  the  utmost  benefit  from 
the  straight  sides,  and  not  be  perpetually  on  the 
turn,  or  in  an  unbalanced  attitude.  He  will,  if 
he  has  had  no  preliminary  experience  in  an  en- 
closure, be  at  a  huge  disadvantage  anyhow  as 
compared  with  those  who  have  enjoyed  this  re- 
hearsal. Let  the  racers  race,  and  the  hustlers 
strive,  a  dignified  and  quiet  progress  is  all  you 
should  attempt,  although  once,  when  they  have 
begun  to  choose  the  eligibles,  you  may  make  one 
"  parade  "  just  to  clinch  things  with  the  judges. 

292 


SHOWING   HORSES 

When  coming  into  line  at  the  call  of  the  ring- 
master, it  does  no  harm,  if  your  horse  is  au  fait  in 
such  accomplishments,  to  go  a  length  or  two 
beyond  your  place,  and  then,  after  pulling  up,  to 
back  into  position,especially  if  a  judge  is  looking. 
You  prove  good  manners  at  once.  If  your  horse 
is  quiet,  you  may  now,  by  your  apparent  disre- 
gard of  him,  emphasize  his  merits  in  the  way  of 
quietness  when  standing,  and  should  always,  if 
possible,  uncheck  him  while  in  repose,  the  long 
waits  proving  very  fatiguing  to  cramped  and 
twisted  neck-muscles.  Keep  him  square  on  his 
legs,  and  light  in  hand,  and  if  the  judges  ask  you 
to  back,  do  not  make  the  common  error  of  at 
once  trying  to  haul  him  back,  but  be  sure  that 
he  is  "  on  his  feet,"  and  so  placed  that  it  is 
physically  possible  for  him  to  comply.  One  some- 
times sees  exhibitors  trying  vainly  to  perform  this 
simplest  of  manoeuvres  with  horses  whose  atti- 
tude precludes  the  possibility  of  their  obedience. 
Never  try  to  overdo  it,  or  back  one  step  after 
the  judge's  gesture  shows  that  he  is  satisfied,  for 
your  horse  may  turn  restive  from  any  cause,  and 
suddenly  rebel.  "  Let  well  enough  alone  "  in 
all  such  undertakings. 

Called  upon  for  a  second  display,  it  is  probably 

293 


FIRST-HAND  BITS  OF  STABLE  LORE 

your  last  chance,  for  ribbons  may  come  any  time 
now.  If  you  can  manage  to  lead  off  you  are 
lucky,  as  you  can  turn  the  way  about  the  arena 
which  your  horse  prefers,  and  in  the  direction  he 
shows  best,  for  all  horses  have  preferences  this 
way.  By  being  in  front  you  may  also  regulate 
the  pace,  for  a  few  turns  at  least,  to  that  which 
fits  your  charge's  ability,  displaying  fast  pace,  if 
allowed,  to  the  detriment  of  others,  or  retarding 
it  if  yours  is  a  flash  mover  at  the  slower  rate  (and 
others  may  be  inconvenienced  thereby).  You 
should  still  go  well  into  the  corners,  and  be  sure 
the  judges  will  appreciate  your  reasons,  and 
award  you  due  consideration  for  your  care.  If 
you  are  deficient  in  pace,  this  manoeuvre  will 
puzzle  them  as  to  just  how  much  your  horse 
lacks  in  this  respect,  inasmuch  as  you  are  going 
a  longer  way  round  than  any  one,  and  would 
naturally  lose  ground. 

If  you  can  detect  the  dangerous  horse,  and  do 
not  fear,  or  would  challenge,  comparison,  get  be- 
hind him  if  possible,  where  you  can  observe,  and 
copy  all  his  tactics,  if  imitation  seems  best ;  if  not, 
you  may  offer  the  proper  contrast,  and  beat  him 
then  and  there.  Above  all  things  do  not  try  to 
pass  any  horse  on  the  turns,  and  be  careful  of  the 

294 


SHOWING   HORSES 

rights  of  others  in  that  you  attempt  no  cutting 
off  of  contending  horses,  by  pulling  across  them, 
and  forcing  them  to  shorten  stride,  or  to  pull  up 
altogether.  A  number  of  professional  tricks  have 
been  adopted  by  some  of  our  amateurs,  and  no 
good  can  come  of  it. 

A  saddle  class  makes  its  appearance  at  a  walk, 
as  should  all  others,  but  that  we  have  fallen  into 
the  error  of  disregarding,  officially,  a  horse's  abil- 
ities at  this,  the  most  important  pace  he  employs. 
The  bold,  free,  upheaded,  flat-footed  walker,  is  as 
hard  to  beat  as  he  is  to  find.  Ride  your  horse 
every  yard,  and  keep  one  eye  on  the  judges,  if 
he  is  a  slack  walker,  ready  to  seize  the  opportu- 
nity to  jog  a  few  steps  up  to  your  leader,  and  re- 
gain the  ground  you  have  lost.  When  told  to 
trot,  take  a  nice  collected  park  pace,  such  as  your 
animal  can  exhibit  without  hopping  or  hitching, 
and  stick  to  it,  going  closely  into  the  corners,  and 
making  your  mount  bend  himself  nicely  ;  at  the 
canter  —  and  never  let  that  pace  degenerate  into 
the  gallop,  —  go  calmly  and  collectedly,  changing 
your  lead  in  straight  going  if  you  can  (and  if  a 
judge  is  looking),  as  evidence  of  handiness.  On 
lining  up,  take  room  for  yourself,  and  give  it  to 
others,  and  after  your  mount  has  stretched  his 

295 


FIRST-HAND  BITS  OF  STABLE  LORE 

neck  and  shifted  his  bits,  keep  him  lightly  in 
hand  ready  to  obey  the  judges'  directions  at  a 
moment's  notice ;  do  not  expect  them  to  wait 
while  you  sort  out  your  reins,  fix  your  hat  and 
stirrups,  and  when  ordered,  gradually  get  under 
way. 

The  same  methods  apply  in  a  way  to  hunting 
classes,  and  the  principal  requirement  is  to  go  a 
fair  hunting  pace  all  the  way,  and  not  to  be  pull- 
ing up  to  a  walk  and  starting  again  at  a  gallop  at 
every  fence. 

Select  stabling  that  is  the  quietest  in  the  build- 
ing, or  preferably  stable  outside.  The  bustle  and 
the  bad  air  will  put  many  a  horse  completely  off 
his  feed  if  kept  in  the  building,  and  unless  you 
are  dealing  there  is  no  advantage  in  stabling  there  ; 
while  your  vehicles  inevitably  get  badly  banged 
about  in  such  places,  your  harness  scratched,  and 
your  smaller  valuables  hypothecated.  Always  be 
ready  long  before  the  call,  and  do  not  annoy  the 
management,  and  get  the  judges  down  on  you  by 
causing  delay  either  through  carelessness,  or 
through  a  desire  to  make  a  sensational,  if  tardy, 
entry  and  set  the  crowd  to  asking,  "  Who  is 
that  ?  "  Such  cheap  methods  of  advertising  are 
beneath  you. 

296 


SHOWING   HORSES 

Horses  travel  best  by  express,  and  should 
always  be  well  bandaged,  and  protected,  as  to  the 
crown  of  the  head,  from  bruises,  by  placing  a  pad 
over  the  brow,  while  the  tail  should  be  carefully 
bandaged  that  it  may  not  be  disfigured  by  rub- 
bing or  charing. 

Watch  your  men  carefully,  that  not  only  may 
they  do  their  work  properly,  but  that  they  may 
give  no  cause  to  public  or  officials  for  complaint. 
You  are  responsible  for  the  appearance  and  man- 
ners of  your  servants,  and  should  carefully  arrange 
that  they  are  beyond  reproach. 

Above  all  things,  never  expect  to  win,  but 
treat  losing  as  an  essential  of  the  game.  Anybody 
can  win  gracefully.  If  thus  prepared  for  defeat 
your  occasional  successes  will  prove  doubly  grate- 
ful ;  if  the  reverse  obtains,  your  losses  will  be 
hard  to  bear,  your  winnings  never  compensatory, 
you  will  find  the  amusement  an  irksome  task,  and 
quickly  degenerate  into  a  leading  member  of  that 
huge  body  of  hard  losers  and  "  chronic  kickers  " 
which  no  sport  has  so  ably  developed  as  the  in- 
adequately expensive  game  of  horse  showing. 


297 


The  Private  Stable 

Its  Establishment,  Management,  and  Appointments 
By  JAMES  A.   GARLAND  &  &  1* 

NEW    EDITION.      WITH    ADDITIONAL    CHAPTERS, 
FULLY     ILLUSTRATED.     8vo.      CLOTH,    $5.00    net 


MR.  GARLAND'S  valuable  book  has  been  for  some  time 
out  of  print.  The  new  chapters  in  this  edition  are  : 
u  Hunters  and  Hunting,"  by  Harry  W.  Smith,  one  of 
the  leading  riders  in  America;  "Exhibiting,"  by  Francis  M.  Ware, 
manager  of  the  American  Horse  Exchange,  New  York;  u  Riding 
for  Women,"  by  Belle  Beach,  the  expert  woman  rider;  "Four- 
in-Hand  Driving,"  by  Frederick  Ashenden,  the  leading  profes- 
sional whip,  with  additional  suggestions  as  to  the  handling  of  reins 
in  driving  a  single,  pair,  or  four-in-hand  ;  and  "Notes  on  Riding,'* 
by  T.  C.  P.  of  Toronto.  The  new  edition  has  additional  illustra- 
tions and  will  be  found  of  greater  value  than  ever  to  all  interested 
in  horses  and  stables. 


OPINIONS  REGARDING  THE  FIRST  EDITION 

We  heartily  indorse  the  work  as  one  of  the  best  that  has  come  to  our 
attention.  —  Rider  and  Driver. 

Everything  that  needs  to  be  known  for  the  successful  establishment  and  man- 
agement of  a  private  stable  seems  to  be  contained  between  the  covers  of  this 
excellent  manual.  —  Review  of  Reviews. 

It  is  a  treasure-house  of  valuable  and  accurate  information.  —  New  York  World. 

The  touch  of  the  master  of  his  subject  is  discernable  on  every  page  of  this 
book.  —  N.  T.  Mail  and  Express. 


LITTLE,  BROWN,  fc?  COMPANY,  Publishers 
254  WASHINGTON  STREET  •  BOSTON,  MASS. 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 
BERKELEY 


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